,fAN  i>  1990 

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•WIS' 


A  STUDY 
OF  JOHNS  GOSPEL 

BY  THE 
QUESTIONNAIRE  METHOD 

A  HANDBOOK  FOR  BIBLE  CLASSES 
AND  FOR  PRIVATE  STUDY 


ROLLIN  H.  WALKER 


THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1919,  by 
ROLLIN  H.  WALKER 


The  Bible  text  used  in  this  volume  is  taken  from  the  American 
Standard  Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas 
Nelson  &  Sons,  and  is  used  by  permission. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface 7 

INTRODUCTION 

How  to  Study  a  Lesson 15 

On  Memorizing  the  Material 15 

Exposing  Scripture  Ideas  to  Different  Classes  of 

Facts 16 

The  Use  of  the  Questions 18 

The  Notebook 23 

QUESTIONNAIRE 

Outline  of  John's  Gospel 29 

Literary  Peculiarities  of  the  Gospel 30 

Chapter  1 35 

The  Prologue.    1.  1-18 35 

John  and  the  Pharisees.     1.  19-28 36 

The  First  Disciples.     1.  29-51 36 

Chapter  II 39 

The  Miracle  in  Cana  of  Galilee.     2.  1-11 39 

The  Cleansing  of  the  Temple.    2.  12-25 40 

Chapter  III 42 

The  Interview  with  Nicodemus.    3.  1-21 42 

The  Final  Witness  of  John.     3.  22-36 44 

Chapter  IV 46 

The    Interview    with    the    Samaritan    Woman. 

4.  1-42 46 

The  Healing  of  the  Nobleman's  Son.    4.  43-54 .  48 

Chapter  V 50 

The  Healing  of  the  Impotent  Man.    5.  1-9 .. .  50 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

PAGE 

The  Jews  Aroused  Over  Jesus's  Attitude  To- 
ward the  Sabbath.    5.  10-18 50 

Jesus  the  Source  of  Life  and  Authority.  5.  19-47  51 

Chapter  VI 54 

The  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand.    6.  1-15 ...  55 

Jesus  Walking  on  the  Water.    6.  16-21 56 

The  Discourse  on  the  Bread  of  Life.    6.  22-65  . .  57 

The. Confession  of  Peter.    6.  66-71 58 

Chapter  VII 59 

Jesus  Exhorted  to  Seek  Notoriety.    7.  1-13 ....  59 

Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.     7.  14-52.  . .  61 

Chapter  VIII 62 

The  Sinful  Woman.    8.  1-11 62 

Jesus's  Teachings  at  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (con- 
tinued)   8.  12-59 63 

Chapter  IX 65 

The  Blind  Man.    9.  1-41 65 

Chapter  X 68 

The  Good  Shepherd.    10.  1-21 68 

Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  Dedication.     10.  22-42.  .  .  69 

Chapter  XI 72 

The  Raising  of  Lazarus.     11.  1-57 73 

Chapter  XII 75 

The  Anointing  at  Bethany.     12.  1-11 75 

The  Triumphal  Entry.     12.  12-19 76 

The  Visit  of  the  Greeks.     12.  20-36a 76 

Reasons   for   Israel's   Rejection   of   Jesus.      12. 

36b-43 77 

A  Resume*  of  Our  Lord's  Public  Teaching.     12. 

44-50 78 

Chapter  XIII 79 

The  Feet- Washing.    13.  1-20 80 

The  Pointing   Out  of  the  Traitor.     13.  21-38 .  .  80 
4 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  XIV 83 

Jesus  and  the  Father.    14.  1-14 84 

Jesus  Foretells  the  Coming  of  the  Spirit.     14. 

15-24 84 

Previous  Words  of  Comfort  Reiterated  in  Dif- 
ferent Form.     14.  25-31 85 

Chapter  XV 86 

The  Vine  and  the  Branches.     15.  1-27 87 

Chapter  XVI 89 

The  Coming  Conflict  and  the  Coming  Comforter. 
16.  1-33 89 

Chapter  XVII 92 

The  Intercessory  Prayer.     17.  1-26 92 

Chapter  XVIII 95 

The  Arrest  and  Denial.     18.  1-27 96 

The  Trial  Before  Pilate.     18.  28-40 97 

Chapter  XIX 98 

The  Trial  Before  Pilate  (continued).     19.  1-16.      98 
The  Crucifixion  and  Burial.     19.  17-42 99 

Chapter  XX 101 

The  Empty  Tomb.    20.  1-10 101 

The  Appearance  to  Mary  Magdalene.    20.  11-18  102 
The  First  Appearance  to  the  Apostles  in  the 

Upper  Room.     20.  19-23 102 

The  Appearance  to  Thomas.    20.  24-31 104 

Chapter  XXI 106 

Jesus  Appears  to  the  Disciples  by  the  Sea  of 

Galilee.    21.  1-14 108 

Simon  Peter's  Commission.    21.  15-25 109 

Search  Questions  on  Chapters  I-XII 110 

Search  Questions  on  Chapters  XIII-XXI.  .  . .   115 
5 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

PAGE 

The  Differences  Between  John  and  the  Sy- 
noptics      119 

The  Profound  Inner  Harmony  Between  John 

and  the  Synoptics 124 

I.    The  Johannine  and  the  Synoptic  Conception 
of  the  Method  of  Christ's  Self-Revelation.  .  .    124 
II.    The  Johannine  and  the  Synoptic  Conception 

of  the  Person  and  Authority  of  Christ 128 

III.    The  Johannine  and  the  Synoptic  Conception 

of  the  Chief  Good  for  Man  and  for  Society. .    131 

APPENDIX 

Questions  on  the  Problem  of  Authorship  and 
Date 137 


PREFACE 

The  purpose  of  this  list  of  questions  is 
to  assist  the  student  to  make  a  first-hand 
study  of  the  problems  of  interpretation  in 
John's  Gospel.  The  writer  believes  that 
much  harm  is  done  to  students  of  the 
Bible  by  the  constant  attempt  to  impose 
upon  them  ready-made  opinions  from  a 
textbook.  Many  teachers  have  a  pro- 
found skepticism  concerning  the  ability  of 
the  nontechnical  scholar  to  come  to  an 
intelligent  independent  judgment  with  re- 
gard to  the  meaning  of  so  difficult  a  book 
as  John's  Gospel.  But  the  writer's  ex- 
perience in  teaching  the  Bible  by  the 
method  herein  outlined  has  served  in- 
creasingly to  convince  him  not  only  that 
students  delight  to  be  thrown  upon  their 
own  resources,  but  that  they  can  be 
trusted,  in  general,  to  show  a  large  amount 
of  insight  and  judgment  in  their  conclu- 
sions. It  is  hoped  that,  after  the  student 
has  completed  the  present  course  in  John's 
Gospel,  he  shall  have  acquired  a  mental 
habit  which  will  enable  him  independently 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

to  face  the  problems  of  other  books  of  the 
Bible,  not,  of  course,  without  the  use  of 
commentaries  and  introductions,  but  with- 
out making  them  a  substitute  for  first- 
hand consideration  of  the  questions  in- 
volved and  for  independent  personal  judg- 
ments concerning  them. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  exegetical 
studies  the  writer  has  arranged  a  series  of 
questions  designed  to  assist  the  student  in 
making  such  an  examination  of  the  fourth 
Gospel  as  will  enable  him  to  judge  for 
himself  whether,  in  spite  of  the  startling 
divergencies,  in  style,  method,  and  mate- 
rial between  John  and  the  other  three, 
they  are  not  profoundly  and  essentially 
one  in  their  conception  of  Jesus  and  of  his 
relation  to  God  and  to  the  world,  and 
whether  or  not  the  developments  and  en- 
largements upon  the  primitive  traditions 
which  John  has  undoubtedly  made  are 
only  such  as  would  inevitably  come  from  a 
deep  consideration  of  the  words  of  Jesus  as 
originally  uttered,  just  as  the  flower  in- 
evitably comes  out  of  the  bulb.  The 
writer  believes  that  the  fourth  Gospel, 
even  in  those  parts  of  it  where  the  evan- 
8 


PREFACE 

gelist,  in  the  freedom  of  the  Spirit,  has 
dared  to  make  the  boldest  reconstructions 
in  form,  is  as  profoundly  in  harmony  with 
the  mind  of  Christ  as  are  the  most  primi- 
tive sources,  and  that  a  stenographic  re- 
port of  the  words  of  Jesus  would  have 
been  less  the  message  of  Christ  to  the 
later  generation  to  which  John  wrote,  with 
its  new  problems  and  its  new  intellectual 
atmosphere,  than  his  inspired  translation 
of  the  thought  of  Jesus  into  new  forms. 

This  question  as  to  whether  the  Gospel 
of  John  is  a  true  representation  of  the 
mind  of  Christ,  the  writer  of  this  book 
deems  to  be  the  central  critical  problem  of 
the  fourth  Gospel,  and  it  is  the  one  on 
which  he  has  the  profoundest  convictions. 
To  this  one  of  the  critical  problems,  ac- 
cordingly, he  desires  the  chief  attention 
of  the  student  to  be  directed. 

The  other  problem  as  to  the  precise 
literary  history  of  the  document  which  we 
call  John's  Gospel  is  a  fascinating,  but 
elusive  question  upon  which  there  is  abun- 
dant room  for  difference  of  opinion  among 
those  who  are  most  certain  as  to  the  au- 
thority of  the  Gospel  as  a  true  exponent 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

of  the  mind  of  Christ.  The  student  is  re- 
ferred, in  the  appendix,  to  some  of  the 
evidence  on  this  subject,  and  to  some  of 
the  critical  discussions  on  both  sides,  and 
is  left  to  come  to  his  own  conclusions. 

The  reader  will  be  somewhat  surprised 
that,  beyond  a  few  questions  concerning 
the  outline  and  the  literary  peculiarities  of 
John's  Gospel,  and  an  occasional  pointing 
out  of  the  difficulty  of  harmonizing  its 
material  with  that  found  in  the  other 
Gospels,  all  introductory  questions  are  re- 
served for  the  end  of  the  course.  This 
proceeding  arises  out  of  the  method  of 
leaving  the  student  to  discover  all  things 
for  himself,  which  is  the  controlling  idea 
of  the  questionnaire.  And,  of  course,  no 
student  is  prepared  for  a  safe  judgment  on 
the  most  important  critical  questions  aris- 
ing out  of  John's  Gospel  until  he  is  fairly 
saturated  with  the  text  of  the  book,  and 
until  he  has  allowed  it  an  opportunity  to 
make  that  unique  impression  upon  his 
mind  which  comes  after  a  "time  exposure." 

The  writer  of  this  questionnaire  desires 
to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  his 
brilliant  young  student,  the  late  Paul 
10 


PREFACE 

Jordan,  M.A.,  for  a  number  of  questions 
embodied  in  the  book,  and  also  to  Dr. 
Louis  F.  W.  Lesemann  and  Dr.  H.  F. 
Rail  for  helpful  criticisms. 


11 


INTRODUCTION 


INTRODUCTION 
HOW  TO  STUDY  A  LESSON 
On  Memorizing  the  Material 

The  first  task  is  always  to  make  oneself 
familiar  with  the  Scripture  material.  By 
this  we  mean,  not  merely  to  read  it  over 
several  times,  but  so  to  get  it  in  mind  that 
one  can  successfully  study  it  without  hav- 
ing the  book  open  before  him.  Probably 
nine  tenths  of  the  study  of  all  really  suc- 
cessful Bible  students  is  done  without  the 
aid  of  the  open  Bible. 

When  the  Scripture  is  mastered  in  this 
fashion,  and  some  outline  or  other  scheme 
for  holding  it  in  memory  has  been  devised, 
then  the  real  test  of  the  student  begins. 
Will  he,  like  all  who  are  truly  successful 
in  Bible  study,  have  faith  enough  in  the 
inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  to  keep  going 
over  and  over  the  passage  in  hand,  even 
though  he  seems  to  be  getting  no  new  re- 
sults? Will  he  revert  to  it  in  his  snatches 
of  leisure,  just  as  a  woman  takes  up  her 
15 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

knitting  or  fancywork  the  moment  her 
hands  are  idle?  Or  will  he  turn  aside  to 
other  subjects? 

That  product  of  spiritual  chemistry 
which  we  call  insight  is  never  produced  at 
low  temperatures.  It  appears  only  when 
the  imagination  has  been  kindled  and  a 
healthy  glow  of  emotion  has  been  aroused. 
But  this  glow  of  emotion  is  always  the 
product  of  dull  hours  when  the  mind  is 
held  down  like  a  vise  to  the  dogged  repe- 
tition of  the  material. 

Exposing  Scripture  Ideas  to  Different 
Classes  of  Facts 

This  repetition  of  the  material  should  be 
made  in  the  presence  of  whatever  Provi- 
dence presents  to  one's  attention.  A  man, 
for  instance,  would  do  well  to  repeat  to 
himself  the  passage  he  is  studying  just  be- 
fore he  reads  the  morning  paper.  The 
telegrams  announcing  the  deeds  of  God  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  often  act  on  the 
Scripture  truth  like  a  glass  of  water  on  a 
dry  effervescent  powder,  causing  it  to  foam 
up  with  surprising  freshness  of  application 
to  modern  conditions.  The  Scripture 
16 


INTRODUCTION 

should  also  be  repeated  as  one  sits  down 
to  read  his  Shakespeare  or  Browning,  or 
any  other  classic.  The  analogies  which 
present  themselves  between  the  ancient 
oracles  and  these  modern  prophets  won- 
derfully thrill  and  invigorate  the  mind. 

Above  all,  the  Scriptures  should  be  gone 
over  in  the  presence  of  the  practical  diffi- 
culties of  life.  It  is  here  that  their  deepest 
meaning  emerges.  Trouble  and  stress  are 
the  chemical  bath  that  develops  the  photo- 
graphic plate  of  the  word  of  God. 

Jesus  said  that  "every  scribe  who  hath 
been  made  a  disciple  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  a  house- 
holder, who  bringeth  forth  out  of  his  treas- 
ure things  new  and  old"  (Matt.  13.  52). 
The  new  experiences  give  fresh  meaning  to 
the  old  Scripture;  the  old  Scripture  inter- 
prets the  new  experiences.  This  habit  of 
keeping  some  scriptural  idea  persistently 
in  mind  as  one  is  confronted  by  the  chang- 
ing scenes  of  existence,  is  that  which  ac- 
counts for  the  surprising  freshness  and 
so-called  originality  of  certain  writers  on 
religion.  They  are  not  men  who  seek  for 
originality,  but,  rather,  men  who  have 
17 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

sufficient  mental  concentration  to  hold  to 
a  scriptural  principle  long  enough  to  allow 
a  large  number  of  fresh  analogies  and  ap- 
plications to  crystallize  around  it.  There 
is  no  limit  to  the  rewarding  suggestiveness 
of  this  repeated  going  over  of  the  Scripture 
in  the  presence  of  the  largest  possible 
variety  of  human  experiences. 

The  Use  of  the  Questions 

If  the  student  has  mastered  the  material, 
most  of  the  questions  in  the  booklet  will 
appear  simple  enough,  and  their  answers 
will  seem  quite  obvious.  Others  will  not 
be  so  simple,  and  must  be  gnawed  at 
rather  patiently.  After  a  careful,  inde- 
pendent study  of  a  given  point,  the  com- 
mentaries should  be  consulted.  It  is  always 
best  to  use  more  than  one,  lest  the  student 
be  tempted  to  follow  one  scholar  slavishly. 
It  is  highly  important  in  this  work  to  "call 
no  man  rabbi."  If  the  student  uses  one  of 
the  large  critical  commentaries,  he  should 
be  careful  to  decide  what  he  is  looking  for 
before  he  consults  it,  so  that  he  will  not  be 
lost  in  the  technical  maze  of  its  discussions. 
Anyone  of  fair  education  can  soon  learn  to 
18 


INTRODUCTION 

handle  a  great  critical  commentary  if  he 
only  observes  this  rule  of  going  to  it  for 
the  answer  to  definite  questions.  The 
commentaries  are  not  made  to  be  read, 
but  to  be  consulted  like  a  dictionary. 

It  is  also  a  good  thing  to  present  a  prob- 
lem of  interpretation  to  sympathetic,  clear- 
headed friends,  even  though  they  have  lit- 
tle of  the  learning  of  the  schools.  The 
Bible  was  not  written  by  technical  scholars, 
but  by  practical,  everyday  men,  and  the 
simple  common  sense  of  such  people  to-day 
often  cuts  the  Gordian  knpt  of  a  difficulty. 
Lincoln  was  in  the  habit  of  making  every 
man  he  met  contribute  to  the  solution  of 
the  problem  that  was  on  his  mind.  The 
successful  Bible  student,  after  the  same 
manner,  can  often  make  his  friends  help 
him  to  the  understanding  of  Scripture. 
Putting  a  question  in  such  form  as  will 
prevent  its  seeming  sanctimonious  and  un- 
real in  common  conversation,  will  in  itself 
be  a  good  discipline.  Half  the  battle  is 
the  simple  and  clear  statement  of  the 
problem. 

As  the  student  answers  the  questions 
proposed  in  this  book,  other  questions  of 
19 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

his  own  will  emerge.  These  by  all  means 
should  be  put  down,  and  if  possible  an- 
swered, but  at  all  events  put  down.  The 
existence  in  the  mind  of  definitely  phrased 
questions  is  a  distinct  asset.  It  is  like  a 
baited  hook  which  one  has  ready  to  cast 
into  all  the  streams  of  experience. 

Although  the  questions  in  this  guide 
have  been  tried  out  on  hundreds  of  stu- 
dents, and  have  been  found  workable, 
nevertheless  the  clear  putting  of  an  exe- 
getical  question  is  so  difficult  that  the 
author  will  doubtless  sometimes  fail  to 
make  himself  intelligible  to  all  readers.  In 
that  case  they  should  not  spend  too  much 
time  in  puzzling  out  the  meaning  of  the 
question.  Let  them  rather  puzzle  out  the 
meaning  of  the  verse.  Let  them  make  the 
book  of  questions  their  servant,  and  not 
their  master.  The  one  vital  matter  is  to 
learn  John's  Gospel. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  connection 
with  practically  every  chapter  of  the  Gos- 
pel there  are  two  classes  of  questions.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  chapter  there  are 
placed  a  number  of  search  questions.  This 
is  to  encourage  the  repeated  and  alert 
20 


INTRODUCTION 

re-reading  of  the  chapter  as  a  whole. 
Then,  after  the  search  questions,  are  added 
a  number  of  exegetical  questions  on  par- 
ticular verses,  intended  to  clear  up  diffi- 
culties of  interpretation. 

In  putting  these  questions  we  have  fol- 
lowed the  custom  of  frequently  placing 
before  the  student  several  alternative  in- 
terpretations. It  very  often  happens  that 
these  alternative  interpretations  are  not  mu- 
tually exclusive,  and  that  the  true  answer 
will  be,  not  in  choosing  one  of  the  alterna- 
tives, but  in  deciding  that  there  is  a  measure 
of  truth  in  each  of  them. 

The  exegetical  questions  in  this  book  are 
all  upon  the  basis  of  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible  (Thomas  Nel- 
son &  Sons,  New  York).  The  use  of  a 
translation  of  the  Gospel  into  modern  ver- 
nacular is  highly  recommended  as  a  mental 
stimulus.  It  is  indeed  the  most  con- 
venient form  of  commentary.  Among 
such  translations  are:  The  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury New  Testament,  $1.25  (Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company,  New  York);  Weymouth, 
The  New  Testament  in  Modern  Speech, 
with  notes,  cloth,  $2  (The  Pilgrim  Press, 

21 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

Boston) ;  Moff att,  The  New  Testament,  A 
New  Translation,  $1  (Doran,  New  York). 
The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament 
on  John's  Gospel  is  supplied  separately  in 
paper  covers.  A  paraphrase,  like  Profes- 
sor Riggs's  Messages  of  Jesus  according  to 
John,  $1.40  (Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 
York),  is  also  a  very  convenient  and  usable 
type  of  commentary.  It  goes  without  the 
saying  that  one  or  more  first-class  modern 
commentaries  are  highly  desirable.  The 
greatest  is  that  of  Godet,  Commentary  on 
Saint  John's  Gospel  (in  three  volumes, 
T.  &  T.  Clark,  Edinburgh;  and  in  two  vol- 
umes, New  York,  Funk  &  Wagnalls). 
This  is  characterized  by  the  profoundest 
spiritual  insight,  but  is  somewhat  tech- 
nical and  difficult  for  the  average  reader 
to  use.  Next  to  this  comes  Westcott,  In- 
troduction, Commentary,  and  Critical 
Notes,  $3  (New  York,  Charles  Scribner's 
Sons).  A  student  equipped  with  either  of 
these  commentaries,  and  with  the  great 
homiletical  exposition  of  Marcus  Dods  in 
the  Expositor's  Bible  (New  York,  George 
H.  Doran  Company),  ought  to  be  able  to 
do  excellent  work.     For  the  average  reader 

22 


INTRODUCTION 

who  would  be  slightly  appalled  by  Godet 
or  Westcott,  possibly  the  most  practicable 
outfit  is  the  inexpensive  paraphrase  of 
Riggs  referred  to  above,  together  with  the 
New  Century  Bible,  by  John  J.  A.  McCly- 
mont  (New  York,  Oxford  Press).  If  the 
somewhat  small  type  of  the  latter  is  an 
objection,  the  Cambridge  Bible,  by  Alfred 
Plummer  (New  York,  G.  P.  Putnam's 
Sons),  and  the  Westminster  New  Testa- 
ment, by  Clark  (New  York,  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company),  will  be  found  easier  for 
the  eyes,  and  they  are  also  good.  For 
reference  to  the  literature  on  questions  of 
introduction,  see  the  appendix. 

The  Notebook 

Every  student  should  keep  a  notebook. 
This  notebook  should  contain: 

1.  The  various  section  headings  of  the 
Gospel,  as  given  in  the  book  of  questions, 
as  for  instance, 

The  Prologue.     1.  1-18. 
These  headings  should  be  made  to  stand 
out  prominently  on  the  page. 

2.  The  answers  to  the  questions.  These 
answers  should  be  complete  sentences,  so 

23 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

phrased  as  to  be  intelligible  to  one  who  has 
not  read  the  question  and  is  not  familiar  with 
the  text  of  the  Scripture.  As,  for  instance, 
when  the  question  on  the  Prologue  reads : 

Where  does  John  emphasize  the  inex- 
haustible nature  of  Christ's  grace? 

The  answer  in  the  notebook  should  be: 
John  emphasizes  the  inexhaustible  nature 
of  Christ's  grace  in  the  verse,  "Of  his  full- 
ness we  all  received,  and  grace  for  grace." 

3.  Any  original  questions  which  have 
been  propounded  by  the  student. 

4.  Any  spontaneous  comments  the  stu- 
dent is  moved  to  make.  The  impulse  to 
write  should  be  obeyed  promptly,  or  the 
thought  will  evaporate.  There  is  no  ob- 
jection to  comments  of  a  devotional  or 
homiletical  nature,  if  only  they  are  never 
made  a  substitute  for  a  scholarly  attention 
to  questions  of  interpretation. 

5.  Any  analogies  to  other  literature  that 
suggest  themselves  to  the  mind,  both  while 
the  student  is  studying  the  lesson  and  af- 
terward in  the  course  of  subsequent  read- 
ing. For  convenience  in  filing  afterthoughts 
in  the  notebook,  the  loose-leaf  arrangement 
is  perhaps  the  best. 

24 


INTRODUCTION 

It  might  be  thought  from  the  above  in- 
structions that  the  writer  of  this  booklet 
expected  the  student  to  do  nothing  else 
but  study  the  Scriptures.  This  is  far  from 
the  case.  He  is  recommending  no  ultra 
pietistic  proceeding  whatever.  He  is  sim- 
ply urging  that  which  Moses  is  said  to 
have  enjoined  upon  Joshua,  a  busy  gen- 
eral, at  the  beginning  of  a  strenuous 
military  campaign,  when  of  all  other  men 
he  would  have  least  opportunity  for  medi- 
tation. "This  book  of  the  law  shall  not 
depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  but  thou  shalt 
meditate  thereon  day  and  night,  that  thou 
mayest  observe  to  do  according  to  all  that 
is  written  therein:  for  then  thou  shalt 
make  thy  way  prosperous,  and  then  thou 
shalt  have  good  success"  (Josh.  1.8). 

This  principle  of  unifying  all  life  around 
some  great  central  conceptions  which  one 
is  studying  is  what  is  required  of  all  men 
who  succeed  in  any  line  of  investigation. 
It  is  what  one  might  call  the  conservation 
of  one's  intellectual  opportunities,  the 
utilization  of  his  providential  experiences, 
and  it  is  a  thoroughly  practicable  plan. 


25 


QUESTIONNAIRE 


OUTLINE  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

1.  If  you  were  to  divide  the  Gospel  into 
two  general  divisions,  the  one  including 
the  public  ministry  of  Jesus,  and  entitled 
"The  Manifestation  of  Christ's  Glory 
through  his  Life  and  Ministry,' '  and  the 
other  including  all  that  John  tells  us  of 
the  happenings  at  the  Last  Supper  in  the 
upper  room,  the  trial,  crucifixion,  and 
resurrection,  and  entitled  "The  Manifes- 
tation of  Christ's  Glory  in  Suffering  and 
Death,"  where  would  the  division  between 
the  two  sections  of  the  Gospel  come? 
Find  the  answer  before  consulting  a  com- 
mentary. 

2.  If  you  were  to  divide  the  first  section 
into   two   parts,    as   Marcus   Dods   does, 

(1)  Christ's  Announcement  of  Himself  and 
the    Beginning    of    Faith    and    Unbelief; 

(2)  The  Period  of  Conflict,  where  would 
these  two  divisions  begin  and  end?  You 
can  find  the  answer  to  this  question  by 
noting  the  first  sign  of  murderous  oppo- 
sition. 

3.  If  you  were  to  divide  the  second  of 

29 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

the  two  main  divisions  of  the  Gospel  into 
three  sections:  (1)  Christ  and  the  Inner 
Circle  the  Night  Before  the  Passion; 
(2)  The  Arrest,  Trial,  and  Crucifixion  of 
Jesus;  (3)  The  Risen  Christ  Appears  to 
His  Disciples,  where  would  the  divisions 
begin  and  end? 

The  outline  which  a  man  uses  for  hold- 
ing the  Gospel  in  the  mind  should  be  the 
one  which  is  most  natural  to  him,  and  the 
student  is  encouraged  to  make  his  own 
outline,  or  to  use  any  other  scheme  which 
he  finds  in  the  commentaries  that  happens 
to  be  most  serviceable  to  him  for  this 
purpose. 


The  Literary  Peculiarities  of  the 
Gospel* 

Chapters  1-4 

Read  Chapters  1-4,  and  find  illustra- 
tions of  the  following  peculiarities  of 
John's  literary  style: 

1.  His  habit  of  noting  the  date,  hour  of 

*  (Note)  The  lessons  on  the  literary  peculiarities  of  the  Gospel, 
while  a  pleasant  and  rewarding  task  in  the  preparation,  are  difficult 
to  make  interesting  in  the  recitation  and  hence  may  be  passed  over 
by  the  teacher,  or  the  class  hour  occupied  by  a  lecture. 

30 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

the  day,  place,  and  other  circumstances  of 
an  incident  which  he  relates. 

2.  His  habit  of  recording,  not  only  the 
appreciative,  but  all  the  puzzled,  confused, 
and  incredulous  answers  of  those  to  whom 
Jesus  spoke. 

Chapters  5-8 

In  Chapters  5-8  John's  peculiarities  of 
treatment  appear  with  unusual  vividness. 
When  you  discover  recurrences  of  the  char- 
acteristics that  you  noted  in  Chapters  1-4, 
connect  them  in  your  mind  with  the  ex- 
amples that  have  gone  before,  and  thus 
make  the  study  of  the  present  section  a 
review  of  the  previous  one. 

1.  What  illustrations  do  we  find  in  Chap- 
ters 5-8  of  John's  way  of  noting  the  time 
and  place  of  an  action,  and  certain  numer- 
ical details  connected  therewith? 

2.  It  is  the  method  of  John  to  give  us  a 
miracle  of  Jesus,  and  then  a  great  revela- 
tion of  truth  expressed  in  a  figure  of  speech 
founded  on  that  miracle.  Find  illustra- 
tions of  this  habit  in  Chapters  5-8. 

3.  Where  in  Chapters  5-8  is  the  oppo- 
sition and  hate  of  Jesus's  enemies  most 

31 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

dramatically  exhibited?  Can  you  think 
of  any  practical  purpose  that  the  insertion 
of  the  mockery  of  the  enemies  of  Jesus 
serves? 

4.  It  is  one  of  the  literary  characteris- 
tics of  John's  Gospel  that  it  is  full  of  verbal 
contradictions.  Where  do  you  find  one  in 
Chapters  5-8? 

5.  What  other  characteristics  of  the 
Gospel  force  themselves  upon  you  as  you 
study  these  chapters? 

Chapters  9-12 

As  before,  note  instances  of — 

1.  John's  habit  of  giving  us  the  time, 
place,  etc.,  of  an  incident. 

2.  His  habit  of  giving  the  reaction  of  the 
hearers  of  Jesus. 

3.  John's  literary  style  is  remarkably 
free  from  relative,  conditional,  and  quali- 
fying clauses.  It  is  just  a  series  of  short 
sentences  usually  connected  by  "and." 
Where  have  we  in  Chapters  9-12  a  dis- 
course in  which  this  quality  is  conspic- 
uously illustrated? 

4.  Some  tell  us  that  the  portrait  of  Jesus 
in  John's  Gospel  is  dehumanized  in  order 

32 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

to  emphasize  his  divinity.  Strangely 
enough,  however,  at  times  John's  Gospel 
brings  out  the  human  sensitiveness  of 
Jesus  more  pronouncedly  than  any  of  the 
other  records.  Where,  for  instance,  in 
Chapters  9-12  is  his  deep  and  storm- 
tossed  emotion  portrayed?  Where  also  is 
his  shrinking  from  the  cross  revealed? 

5.  John  constantly  makes  use  of  the  law 
of  contrast,  in  adding  to  the  impressive- 
ness  of  his  account.  Notice  as  you  read 
these  chapters  a  very  vivid  instance  of 
contrast  in  the  feeling  exhibited  toward 
Jesus  by  two  persons,  both  of  whom  were 
supposed  to  be  his  intimate  friends. 

Chapters  13-21 

1.  Note  again  John's  habit  of  stating 
time,  place,  and  circumstances  of  an  event. 

2.  Note  also  his  usual  method  of  incor- 
porating the  questions  and  responses  of 
those  to  whom  Jesus  spoke. 

3.  It  is  the  habit  of  John  often  to  see  in 
the  literal  fact  a  suggestion  of  spiritual 
meaning.  Read  these  chapters  to  see  if 
you  can  find  illustrations  of  this  habit. 

4.  It  has  been  said  that  the  discourses  in 

33 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

John's  Gospel  have  a  kind  of  spiral  move- 
ment. Instead  of  stating  one  point,  and 
then  leaving  it,  and  going  on  to  the  next, 
the  thought  returns  again  and  again  to 
some  great  central  conception  in  a  kind  of 
ascending  circle.  What  chapters  in  13-21 
best  illustrate  this  peculiarity? 

5.  John  always  keeps  his  story  human 
and  interesting  by  preserving  the  dramatic 
interplay  of  question  and  answer;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  he,  in  a  sense,  detaches 
his  story  from  its  local  Jewish  setting,  and 
puts  it  in  a  form  that  is  more  easily  applic- 
able to  all  men  under  all  circumstances. 
Read  Chapters  13-21  to  note  how  little  of 
the  story  requires  an  explanation  of  local 
Jewish  conditions  and  customs  in  order  to 
make  it  intelligible. 


34 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Prologue.     1.  1-18 

1.  The  memorizing  of  the  Prologue  is 
especially  to  be  recommended  as  a  prepara- 
tion for  the  answering  of  the  following 
questions. 

2.  Compare  this  introduction  to  John's 
Gospel  with  the  beginning  of  Matthew 
(1. 1-16),  and  the  preface  to  Luke  (1.  1-4). 

3.  Where  and  how  in  the  Prologue  does 
John  seek  to  impress  us  with  the  deity  of 
Christ?  By  what  words  does  he  seek  to 
bring  out  his  humanity? 

4.  In  what  words  does  John  express  the 
ideas  of  the  preexistence  of  Christ,  his 
power  as  Creator,  and  his  power  as 
Saviour? 

5.  Where  is  Christ's  function  as  the  re- 
vealer  of  truth  expressed? 

6.  Where  is  the  absolutely  unique  Son- 
ship  of  Christ  brought  out? 

7.  Where  does  John  emphasize  the  in- 
exhaustible nature  of  Christ's  grace? 

8.  In  what  words  does  John  seek  to 
teach   that   those   who   come   under   the 

35 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

power  of  Christ  are  so  completely  trans- 
formed that  the  work  can  only  be  assigned 
to  the  direct  act  of  God? 

John  and  the  Pharisees.     1.  19-28 

9.  What  characteristic  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist is  most  marked  in  his  interview  with 
the  Pharisees? 

The  First  Disciples.     1.  29-51 

10.  What  evidence  have  we  in  this  para- 
graph that  John  the  Baptist  saw  in  Jesus 
far  more  than  a  mere  earthly  conqueror? 
Had  he  in  that  portion  of  the  Scripture 
with  which  he  seems  to  be  especially  fa- 
miliar (Isa.  40-66)  some  suggestion  toward 
this  spiritual  conception  of  the  Messiah? 
See  Isa.  53. 

11.  What  characteristic  of  Jesus  is  mani- 
fested in  his  meeting  with  his  earliest  dis- 
ciples?   It  was  his  ability  to  do  what? 

12.  What  was  it  that  made  Nathanael 
believe  in  Christ? 

13.  Note  the  difficulty  that  arises  when 
we  compare  this  story  with  the  account  of 
the  call  of  Peter  and  Andrew  in  the  synop- 
tic Gospels  (Mark  1.  16-20).    The  student 

36 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

is  warned  against  a  nervous  attempt  to 
defend  the  chronology  of  a  writer  who 
handled  his  material  with  the  freedom  of 
spirit  that  characterizes  John's  Gospel,  and 
is  also  reminded  that  the  other  evangelists 
are  constantly  taking  similar  liberty.  See, 
for  instance,  the  story  of  Jesus's  visit  to 
the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  which  Luke 
puts  (4.  16-30)  at  the  very  beginning  of 
our  Lord's  ministry,  whereas  Matthew  and 
Mark  place  it  much  later  (Matt.  13.  54-58; 
Mark  6.  1-6).  Is  the  difference,  however, 
in  the  time  of  the  call  of  the  early  disciples 
an  absolutely  clear  case  of  discrepancy? 
Could  it  not  have  been  that  the  call  re- 
corded in  Matthew  and  Mark  was  a  call 
to  leave  their  business,  and  give  Jesus 
their  exclusive  time  and  attention,  while 
this  meeting  in  John  is  a  record  of  how 
they  first  became  Jesus's  adherents  and 
loyal  supporters? 

14.  The  disciples  are  here  represented  as 
starting  out  with  the  assumption  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ.  Contrast  this  early  dec- 
laration of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  with  the 
synoptic  account  of  the  confession,  "Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living  God," 
37 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

which  Peter  uttered  in  the  latter  part  of 
Christ's  ministry  (Matt.  16.  13-20).  This 
apparent  divergence  between  John  and  the 
synoptics  as  to  the  time  in  the  ministry 
when  the  disciples  first  acknowledged  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus  is  often  given  as  an 
evidence  of  the  unhistorical  character  of 
the  fourth  Gospel.  Could  it  have  been 
that  the  disciples  at  first,  echoing  the  sur- 
mises of  the  multitude  about  Jesus,  used 
the  word  "Messiah"  in  the  popular,  carnal 
sense,  while  Peter  in  his  later  confession 
bravely  held  to  his  original  faith  in  Jesus's 
Messiahship,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
Master  disappointed  all  his  carnal  hopes? 
Was  it  this  spiritual  resoluteness  and  loy- 
alty, as  over  against  the  common  opinion 
to  which  all  the  scholars  of  his  day  had 
come,  that  so  greatly  pleased  Jesus? 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Miracle  in  Cana  of  Galilee. 
2.  1-11 

1.  Read  a  number  of  times  to  determine, 
if  possible,  the  principal  point  John  wishes 
to  impress  upon  us  in  recounting  the  inci- 
dent of  the  marriage  at  Cana.  Especially 
what  characteristic  of  Jesus  does  it  illus- 
trate? 

2.  Does  it  seem  likely  that  the  wine 
failed  because  the  family  generously  en- 
larged the  number  of  their  guests  by 
inviting  Jesus  and  his  disciples,  and  others 
who  were  curious  to  see  the  wonderful 
young  Rabbi? 

3.  Vs.  3-5.  (a)  What  did  Mary  desire 
Jesus  to  do?  (b)  What  was  there  about 
this  request  that  elicited  the  shade  of  re- 
proof in  his  answer?  (c)  His  hour  was  not 
yet  come  to  do  what?  (d)  Did  he  change 
his  mind  and  decide  to  work  the  miracle, 
or  did  he  feel  that  by  working  the  miracle 
unostentatiously  (as  it  were,  in  the  kitchen) 
he  might  delay  the  proclamation  of  himself 
as  Messiah  until  the  right  time?    Compare 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

a  similar  desire  for  privacy  in  his  wonder- 
working in  Luke  5.  14;  8.  56. 

4.  V.  10.  "When  men  have  drunk 
freely."    Bluntly,  what  did  he  mean? 

5.  The  new  disciples  would  be  struck  at 
this  wedding  with  what  contrast  between 
Jesus  and  their  former  teacher,  John  the 
Baptist?    (Matt.  11.  16-19.) 

6.  V.  11.  "His  disciples  believed  on 
him."  How  do  you  account  for  the  fact 
that  the  record  has  already  said  that  they 
had  believed?    See  Chapter  1. 

The  Cleansing  of  the  Temple. 
2.  12-25 

7.  In  the  first  three  Gospels  the  cleansing 
of  the  temple  is  placed  at  the  close  of 
Jesus's  ministry.  John  puts  it  here  at  the 
beginning.  At  which  time  do  you  think  it 
probably  occurred?  or  might  it  have  oc- 
curred twice? 

8.  Was  this  traffic  in  the  temple  illegal, 
or  was  Jesus's  resentment  due  to  the  fact 
that  it  had  become  degraded  into  ex- 
tortion? 

9.  It  was  a  fixed  principle  of  Jesus  not 
to  use  force  in  an  attempt  to  change  men's 

40 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

attitudes  and  opinions,  but  here  we  see 
him  using  force.  Is  this  really  a  departure 
from  his  principle?  Is  he  trying  to  con- 
vert the  temple  keepers  to  a  new  way  of 
looking  at  duty,  or  is  he  simply  enforcing 
a  standard  of  religious  decency  which  they 
already  inwardly  knew  to  be  correct? 

10.  Was  it  Jesus's  personality  that  com- 
pelled obedience,  or  did  the  reference  to 
prophecy  arouse  the  consciences  of  these 
traders? 

11.  The  story  of  the  cleansing  of  the 
temple  adds  what  lines  to  the  evangelist's 
picture  of  the  character  of  Jesus? 

12.  V.  24.  Why  did  not  Jesus  trust  him- 
self to  the  multitudes  at  Jerusalem?  Was 
he  afraid  of  treachery  on  their  part,  or 
afraid  that  without  understanding  his  true 
mission  and  purpose  they  would  proclaim 
him  as  a  military  Messiah? 

13.  Do  you  notice  any  vivid  contrast  in 
Chapter  2? 


41 


CHAPTER  IH 

The  Interview  with  Nicodemus 
3.  1-21 

1.  V.  1.  What  have  you  to  say,  in 
general,  of  the  class  to  which  Nicodemus 
belonged  (Matt.  23;  Luke  18.  9-14),  and 
of  their  conception  of  the  nature  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven?    (Luke  17.  20-21.) 

2.  Vs.  2-15.  Does  the  narrative  of  the 
interview  with  Nicodemus  indicate  that  he 
was  a  sincere  inquirer?  Compare  7.  50-51, 
and  19.  39. 

3  V.  2.  Did  Nicodemus  say  "we"  from 
modesty,  or  because  he  was  stating  the 
consensus  of  opinion  in  the  group  of 
serious-minded  Pharisees  to  which  he  be- 
longed? 

4.  V.  3.  Nicodemus  came  to  talk  with 
Jesus  about  "reconstruction."  He  be- 
longed to  a  class  that  expected  the  world 
to  be  conquered  for  the  Messiah  by  sword 
and  by  stunning  miracles.  What  in  Jesus's 
program  both  for  himself  and  his  disciples 
would  it  be  wholly  impossible  for  Nicode- 
mus  to   appreciate    without   a   complete 

42 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

change  of  his  point  of  view?    The  answer 
is  suggested  in  verse  14. 

5.  V.  5.  "Except  one  be  born  of  water." 
Do  you  think  Nicodemus  had  or  had  not 
been  baptized  by  the  Baptist?  Does  Jesus 
refer  to  baptism  in  general,  or  to  John's 
baptism?  Does  he  mean  to  suggest  that 
the  rite  of  baptism  is  necessary  to  salva- 
tion, or  that  open  confession  and  a  humble 
admission  of  a  need  of  the  prayers  and  help 
of  good  men,  is  necessary  to  salvation? 

6.  V.  8.  "The  wind  bloweth  where  it 
will."  The  wind  is  invisible  and  mysterious 
in  its  origin.  What,  then,  do  we  know 
about  it  that  is  also  true  of  the  Spirit? 

7.  V.  12.  "How  shall  ye  believe  if  I  tell 
you  heavenly  things?"  The  first  verse  of 
the  Prologue,  where  the  evangelist  says, 
"In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,"  is  an 
illustration  of  the  heavenly  things  to  which 
reference  is  here  made.  They  cannot  be 
proven  by  direct  observation,  but  are 
logical  inferences  which  are  made  under 
the  impulse  of  the  faith  that  comes  from 
experience  of  the  transforming  power  of 
Christ.  The  new  birth,  however,  is  here 
called  an  earthly  thing.     In  view  of  the 

43 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

fact  that  it  is  a  spiritual  event,  why  is  it 
called  earthly? 

8.  Vs.  16-21.  Do  you  think  that  these 
verses  are  added  reflections  of  Saint  John 
which  he  could  not  repress,  or  are  they  a 
part  of  Jesus's  message  to  Nicodemus?  If 
one  were  to  conclude  that  they  were  in- 
evitable reflections  upon  the  word  of  Jesus 
which  any  sincere  disciple  would,  in  time, 
be  compelled  to  make,  would  they  be  any 
less  the  real  message  of  Christ  than  the 
precise  words  that  he  uttered? 

The  Final  Witness  of  John.    3.  22-36 

9.  V.  25.  "There  arose  therefore  a  ques- 
tioning on  the  part  of  John's  disciples  with 
a  Jew  about  purify ing."  What,  according 
to  the  commentaries,  was  the  point  at 
issue? 

10.  V.  26.  What  effect  did  these  dis- 
putants expect  their  announcement  of 
Jesus's  great  success  to  have  upon  John? 
What  startling  surprise  did  John  give  them? 

11.  V.  29.  "The  friend  of  the  bride- 
groom, that  standeth  and  heareth  him, 
rejoiceth  greatly,"  etc.  To  what  Oriental 
marriage  custom  is  reference  here  made? 

44 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

12.  V.  30.  "He  must  increase,  but  I 
must  decrease."  John  was  right  in  his 
conviction  that  Christ  must  increase.  In 
what  respect  was  he  right,  and  in  what 
respect  was  he  wrong  in  his  conviction 
that  he  must  decrease? 


45 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Interview  with  the  Samaritan 
Woman.    4.  1-42 

1.  Vs.  1-5.  Why  should  the  fact  that 
the  Pharisees  had  heard  of  Jesus's  success 
make  him  depart  from  Judaea? 

2.  Reread  Chapter  3  to  note  the  con- 
trasts and  the  similarities  between  the  two 
interviews.  Write  down  the  substance  of 
your  findings. 

3.  V.  5.  "He  cometh  to  a  city  of  Sa- 
maria, called  Sychar."    Locate  on  the  map. 

4.  V.  6.  "It  was  about  the  sixth  hour." 
At  what  o'clock  according  to  our  reckon- 
ing? 

5.  V.  7.  What  is  known  of  the  Samari- 
tans and  their  worship?    2  Kings  17.  7-33. 

6.  V.  14.  "A  well  of  water  springing  up 
unto  eternal  life."  Where  in  this  chapter, 
by  using  a  different  figure  of  speech,  does 
Jesus  say  that  he  himself  has  that  well  of 
water  springing  up  within  him? 

7.  V.  16.  "Go,  call  thy  husband,  and 
come  hither."  What  was  the  purpose  of 
this  injunction  of  Jesus?     Was  it  out  of 

46 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

regard  to  the  proprieties  of  the  occasion, 
or  was  it  designed  to  call  the  woman's 
attention  to  the  chief  impediment  which 
was  keeping  her  back  from  the  divine  gift, 
namely,  her  improper  social  relations? 

8.  V.  19.  "Sir,  I  perceive  that  thou  art 
a  prophet."  In  what  previous  instances 
does  this  Gospel  show  that  Jesus's  insight 
into  human  personality  led  to  faith  in 
him? 

9.  V.  20.  "Our  fathers  worshiped  in  this 
mountain,"  etc.  Was  the  bringing  up  of 
this  question  of  the  proper  place  for  wor- 
ship an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  woman 
to  turn  the  conversation  away  from  an  un- 
pleasant subject,  or  was  it  the  expression 
of  what  was  to  her  a  central  question  in 
religion? 

10.  V.  23.  Is  the  meaning  that  the  true 
worshiper  shall  worship  the  Father  in  the 
spirit  and  in  sincerity?  or  in  the  spirit 
and  with  a  true  notion  of  his  nature  and 
his  requirements? 

11.  V.  26.  "I  that  speak  unto  thee  am 
he."  Jesus  was  afraid  to  announce  him- 
self to  the  Jews  as  Messiah  because  the 
word  "Messiah"  suggested  to  them  a  mili- 

47 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

tary  revolutionist  who  would  place  himself 
at  their  head,  drive  out  their  conquerors, 
and  set  up  a  Jewish  state.  Can  you  see 
from  the  woman's  words  any  reason  why 
he  did  not  have  this  fear  with  regard  to 
her? 

The  Healing  of  the  Nobleman's  Son 
4.  43-54 

12.  V.  45.  "So  when  he  came  into 
Galilee,  the  Galilseans  received  him,  hav- 
ing seen  all  the  things  that  he  did  in  Jeru- 
salem at  the  feast."  The  Galilseans  based 
their  faith  in  Jesus  on  his  miracles.  On 
what  had  the  Samaritans  based  their  faith? 
Which  type  of  reception  was  more  pleasing 
to  Jesus? 

13.  V.  48ff.  How  do  you  explain  the 
fact  that  after  Jesus  had  said,  "Except  ye 
see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  in  no  wise 
believe,"  this  nobleman  exhibited  a  very 
unusual  faith?  Was  Jesus's  word  intended 
as  a  kind  of  dramatic  foil  to  the  faith 
which  he  knew  the  man  would  exhibit  as  a 
reaction  from  his  words,  or  is  there  any 
other  explanation  that  you  can  suggest? 
Would  the  faith  of  the  nobleman  have 

48 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

been  screwed  up  to  the  sticking-point  with- 
out Jesus's  rebuke?  On  what  did  the 
nobleman  base  his  faith  in  Jesus? 

14.  V.  54.  "This  is  again  the  second 
sign  that  Jesus  did,  having  come  out  of 
Judaea  into  Galilee."  What  was  the  first 
sign? 


49 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Healing  of  the  Impotent  Man 
5.  1-9 

1.  Vs.  1-7.  What  was  it  in  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  man  that  laid  such  hold 
on  the  compassion  of  Jesus  that  he  felt 
moved  of  the  Spirit  to  heal  him? 

2.  V.  4.  What  justification  have  the  re- 
visers in  removing  from  the  text  the  pas- 
sage about  the  angel  troubling  the  waters? 

The  Jews  Aroused  Over  Jesus's  Atti- 
tude Toward  the  Sabbath.    5.  10-18 

3.  V.  13.  "Jesus  had  conveyed  himself 
away,  a  multitude  being  in  the  place." 
What  might  have  been  the  consequences 
to  Jesus's  program  of  giving  himself  chiefly 
to. teaching  if  he  had  worked  his  miracles 
in; such  manner  as  to  attract  the  curious 
crowds  around  him? 

4.  What  is  there  about  the  way  in  which 
Jesus  worked  this  miracle  that  resembles 
the  manner  in  which  he  wrought  the  mir- 
acle at  the  wedding  in  Cana? 

5.  The  story  of  the  healing  of  the  man 

60 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

at  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  and  the  reaction 
which  the  deed  brought  out  from  the  Jew- 
ish leaders,  emphasizes  what  vivid  con- 
trast between  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and  the 
spirit  of  the  leaders? 

6.  The  first  break  which  this  Gospel  de- 
scribes between  Jesus  and  the  Jews  arises 
over  the  Sabbath  question.  Read  from  the 
beginning  of  Mark's  Gospel  until  you  find 
the  first  account  of  hostility  against  Jesus, 
and  note  whether  it  arises  from  a  similar 
cause. 

7.  What,  according  to  the  account  given 
by  John,  had  Jesus  previously  done  to 
arouse  the  anger  of  the  rulers,  which  they 
did  not,  however,  dare  to  make  an  issue 
before  the  common  people? 

Jesus  the  Source  of  Life  and 
Authority.    5.  19-47 

8.  What  verbal  contradictions  do  you 
find  in  these  verses? 

9.  What  ideas  of  the  Prologue  are  here 
restated? 

10.  Wher^e,  in  this  section,  is  there  an 
analogy  to  Jesus's  promise  to  Nathanael 
that  he  should  see  greater  things  than  these? 

51 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

11.  Jesus  here  claims  power  to  raise  the 
spiritually  dead,  and  power  to  raise  the 
physically  dead.  In  which  verse  does  he 
make  the  first  claim?  In  which  the 
second? 

12.  Jesus  in  this  section  enumerates  va- 
rious witnesses  which  God  has  given  to 
substantiate  his  claims.  Search  through 
the  section  to  find  what  these  witnesses 
are. 

13.  Where  is  it  asserted  that  the  pun- 
ishment for  not  receiving  the  true  mes- 
senger of  God  is  to  be  deceived  into 
receiving  a  false  messenger? 

14.  Where  does  Jesus  state  that  it  is 
impossible  for  a  man  to  be  really  loyal  to 
Moses  and  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
without  yielding  at  the  same  time  to 
Christ's  message  and  authority? 

15.  Where  does  Jesus  state  that  a  man's 
habitual  attitude  toward  God  determines 
whether  he  will  take  the  right  attitude 
toward  Christ? 

16.  Does  all  of  this  discourse  in  its 
present  form  seem  natural  as  the  utter- 
ance of  Jesus  before  the  multitudes  in 
Jerusalem,  or  is  it  likely  that  it  contains 

52 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

comments  by  the  evangelist  that  develop 
the  thought  for  the  needs  of  a  later  gen- 
eration? Would  it  have  been  natural  for 
Jesus  to  phrase  himself  in  precisely  this 
form  at  this  early  stage  of  his  ministry? 


53 


CHAPTER  VI 

1.  Jesus  has  already  been  quoted  as 
saying  that  a  prophet  has  no  honor  in  his 
own  country  (4.  44).  Where  have  we  an 
illustration  of  this  principle  in  Chapter  6? 

2.  We  have  illustrated  in  this  chapter 
the  fact  that  miracles  never  really  satisfy 
the  mind,  nor  give  any  permanent  basis 
for  faith,  but,  rather,  produce  an  itching 
desire  for  more  miracles.    Find  the  place. 

3.  Jesus  wishes  the  multitude  to  realize 
that  he  thoroughly  understands  their  atti- 
tude toward  him,  and  is  not  at  all  deceived 
as  to  the  reception  which  his  words  are 
likely  to  have.  Where  does  he  make  this 
evident? 

4.  It  would  be  natural  for  the  people  to 
infer  that  their  attitude  toward  Jesus  was 
simply  a  matter  of  individual  like  and  dis- 
like, and  had  nothing  to  do  with  their 
general  attitude  toward  God.  Where,  on 
the  contrary,  does  Jesus  insist  that  a  man's 
attitude  toward  him  is  a  true  gauge  of  his 
attitude  toward  the  Father? 

5.  Where  have  we  indications  of  the  fact 

54 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

that  this  incident  of  the  feeding  of  the  five 
thousand  and  the  following  discourse  was 
a  most  decisive  event  in  the  life  of  Jesus, 
and  meant  both  the  culmination  of  his 
popularity  and  the  turn  of  the  tide  against 
him? 

6.  Where  does  Jesus  show  that  the  inci- 
dents of  the  chapter  have  turned  his  mind 
strongly  toward  his  approaching  sufferings? 

7.  The  Jews  put  their  faith  in  the  good 
time  that  would  come  from  a  change  of 
government  and  an  ideal  prosperity.  Jesus, 
on  the  contrary,  looks  deeper,  and  says 
that  men  first  need  an  inspiration  and  a 
dynamic  that  will  make  heroes  of  them, 
and  transform  their  whole  attitude  toward 
life.  From  what,  according  to  this  chap- 
ter, is  this  dynamic  to  come? 

The  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand. 
6. 1-15 

8.  Vs.  1-14.  What  three  particulars  not 
mentioned  in  the  Synoptics  are  given  in 
this  narrative  of  the  miracle?  (Matt.  14. 
13-23;  Mark  6.  30-46;  Luke  9.  10-17.) 

9.  V.  4.  "Now  the  passover,  the  feast 
of  the  Jews,  was  at  hand."    Does  Chapter 

66 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

5  suggest  any  reason  why  Jesus  did  not 
go  up  to  this  feast? 

10.  V.  12.  "Gather  up  the  broken  pieces 
which  remain  over,  that  nothing  be  lost." 
Why  did  Jesus  give  this  command? 

11.  V.  14.  "This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet 
that  cometh  into  the  world."  Who,  in 
this  Gospel,  had  said,  "Sir,  I  perceive  that 
thou  art  a  prophet"?  Compare  the 
grounds  on  which,  in  the  two  cases,  the 
faith  had  been  based. 

12.  V.  15.  "They  were  about  to  come 
and  take  him  by  force,  to  make  him  king," 
etc.  What  had  just  happened  that  would 
make  Jesus  particularly  desirous  of  taking 
a  hand  in  righting  the  political  conditions 
in  Palestine,  and  hence  would  render  this 
a  severe  temptation  to  him?  (Matt.  14. 
1-12.)  "He  withdrew  again  into  the 
mountain  himself  alone."  For  what  pur- 
pose?    See  Mark  6.  45-46. 

Jesus  Walking  on  the  Water.  6.  16-21 

13.  V.  19.  "About  five  and  twenty  or 
thirty  furlongs."  Compare  with  Mark  6. 
47;  Matt.  14.  24;  where  it  says  that  they 
were  in  the  middle  of  the  sea.     Do  these 

56 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

statements  agree  with  one  another,  and 
with  the  actual  dimensions  of  the  sea? 

The  Discourse  on  the  Bread  of  Life. 
6.  22-65 

14.  Vs.  25,  26.  "Ye  seek  me,  not  be- 
cause ye  saw  signs,  but  because  ye  ate  of 
the  loaves,  and  were  filled."  What  pre- 
vious instances  have  we  had  in  this  Gospel 
where  Jesus  did  not  answer  the  spoken 
question,  but  was  ready  to  supply  the 
deeper,  unexpressed  need  of  the  ques- 
tioner? 

15.  V.  34.  "They  said  therefore  unto 
him,  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread." 
This  mistaken  request  of  the  multitude 
makes  you  think  of  what  similar  request 
in  a  previous  interview  recorded  in  this 
Gospel? 

16.  V.  44.  Jesus's  teachings  are  always 
for  the  purpose  of  helping  his  hearers. 
How  would  it  help  this  crowd  to  be  told, 
"No  man  can  come  to  me,  except  the 
Father  that  sent  me  draw  him"?  It  would 
throw  them  back  on  the  primary  problem 
of  first  being  loyal  and  sincere  toward 
whom? 

57 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

17.  V.  53.  What  does  Jesus  mean  by 
eating  the  flesh  and  drinking  the  blood  of 
the  Son  of  man?  Partaking  of  the  Eucha- 
rist, or  living  on  the  inspiration  of  Christ's 
example  and  getting  courage  and  healing 
from  his  vicarious  sufferings? 

18.  V.  64.  "Jesus  knew  from  the  be- 
ginning .  .  .  who  it  was  that  should  be- 
tray him."  Before  he  chose  him,  or  as 
soon  as  the  traitorous  disposition  mani- 
fested itself? 

The  Confession  of  Peter.    6.  66-71 

19.  After  the  discourse  on  the  Bread  of 
Life  there  was  a  parting  of  the  ways 
among  the  disciples.  Many  were  unwilling 
to  follow  Jesus  if  it  meant  the  surrender 
of  certain  immediate  hopes.  What  were 
these  hopes? 

20.  Compare  this  confession  of  Peter, 
which  stood  out  against  the  common  opin- 
ion of  those  with  whom  he  was  surrounded, 
with  Peter's  confession  in  the  Synoptics. 
Matt.  16.  13-17. 


68 


CHAPTER  VII 

1.  Where  have  we  in  this  chapter  a 
statement  of  the  same  tenor  as  Jesus's 
words,  "If  therefore  thine  eye  be  single, 
thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light"? 

2.  What  figures  of  speech  in  this  chapter 
strongly  remind  you  of  previous  sayings  of 
Jesus  in  this  Gospel? 

3.  Where  in  this  chapter  have  we  illus- 
tration of  the  fact  that  insistence  on  the 
letter  of  Scripture  often  keeps  men  from 
seeing  the  truth? 

4.  What  evidence  is  there  in  this  chapter 
that  the  rulers  and  the  Pharisees  had  been 
unwilling  to  make  any  careful  investigation 
either  of  Jesus's  words  or  his  deeds? 

Jesus   Exhorted  to  seek    Notoriety. 
7.  1-13 

5.  V.  2.  What  can  you  say  of  the  feast 
of  tabernacles?    (Lev.  23.  33-36.) 

6.  V.  3.  "Go  into  Judaea,  that  thy  dis- 
ciples also  may  behold  thy  works  which 
thou  doest."  What  disciples?  The  twelve, 
or  the  Judaeans  who,  by  reason  of  his  pre- 

59 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

vious  miracles  and  words,  had  become  fav- 
orably disposed  toward  him? 

7.  V.  6.  "My  time  is  not  yet  come." 
Time  to  do  what?  Compare  previous  oc- 
currences of  a  similar  expression  in  this 
Gospel.  See  also  V.  30.  What  fact  in 
the  Jewish  attitude  toward  Jesus  made  it 
important  for  him  to  choose  his  time  and 
manner  of  public  manifestation  as  care- 
fully as  a  general  chooses  the  time  and 
ground  for  a  battle? 

8.  Vs.  10-13.  Why,  in  your  opinion,  did 
Jesus  approach  Jerusalem  so  secretly,  and 
then  go  into  the  temple  and  teach  so 
openly?  The  answer  to  the  question  con- 
cerning Jesus's  reason  for  his  secret  ap- 
proach is  seen  in  an  analysis  of  the  mo- 
tives and  desires  of  his  brethren  in  asking 
him  to  go  up  with  them.  Compare  2. 23-25. 
In  considering  the  apparent  inconsistency 
of  Jesus  in  going  into  the  temple  after  his 
secret  approach,  and  making  such  august 
public  claims  for  himself,  ask  yourself  this 
question:  Were  these  great  proclamations 
of  a  character  tending  to  arouse  the  multi- 
tude to  revolutionary  enthusiasm  for  him 
as  a  king,  and  hence  tending  to  bring  on 

60 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

the  hostility  of  the  Roman  government? 
Or  were  they,  on  the  other  hand,  of  a 
character  to  dampen  the  ardor  of  the  un- 
spiritual  crowd? 

9.  V.  11.  "The  Jews  therefore  sought 
him  at  the  feast."  With  hostile  or  friendly 
intent? 

Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 
7.  14-53 

10.  V.  17.  "If  any  man  willeth  to  do 
his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  teaching." 
Where  in  the  sixth  chapter  did  Jesus  sug- 
gest that  before  discussing  his  claims  or 
his  teaching  the  primary  duty  was  to  be 
loyal  to  the  God  whom  they  professed  to 
serve? 

11.  V.  21.  "Jesus  answered,  and  said 
unto  them,  I  did  one  work,  and  ye  all 
marvel  because  thereof."  What  work? 
(See  5.  8-10.) 

12.  Vs.  37-38.  Was  there  any  Jewish 
custom  at  the  feast  that  may  have  called 
forth  the  words,  "If  any  man  thirst,  let 
him  come  unto  me  and  drink"?  See 
commentaries. 


61 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Sinful  Woman.    8.  1-11 

1.  On  what  evidence  is  the  paragraph 
7.  53  to  8. 11  regarded  as  an  interpolation? 
Does  the  opinion  that  it  is  not  an  original 
part  of  John's  Gospel  carry  with  it  the 
necessary  inference  that  it  is  not  his- 
torical? 

2.  What  was  the  purpose  of  Jesus  in  this 
interview?  To  settle  the  method  of  pro- 
cedure with  such  offenders,  or  to  discomfit 
a  group  of  brazen  hypocrites  and  inspire  a 
bad  woman  to  a  better  life? 

3.  V.  5.  "What  then  sayest  thou  of 
her?"  Did  the  Jews  expect  Jesus  to  say, 
"Stone  her,"  and  thus  put  himself  in  op- 
position to  the  Roman  law  and  authority? 
Or  did  they  expect  him  to  say,  "Release 
her,"  and  thus  array  himself  against  the 
sentence  imposed  by  the  Jewish  law? 

4.  V.  6.  Why  did  Jesus  write  on  the 
ground? 

5.  V.  11.  "Neither  do  I  condemn  thee." 
In  what  sense  is  the  word  "condemn" 
used? 

62 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

Jestjs's    Teachings    at    the    Feast    of 
Tabernacles  (Continued).    8.  12-59 

6.  Where  in  this  chapter  does  Jesus  sug- 
gest that  no  man  at  the  beginning  of  his 
discipleship  adequately  understands  his 
teaching,  but  that  comprehension  comes 
by  persistent  attempts  practically  to  apply 
it? 

7.  In  connection  with  the  interview  with 
Nicodemus  we  read,  "As  Moses  lifted  up 
the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must 
the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up;  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  may  in  him  have  eternal 
life."  Where  in  this  chapter  also  do  we 
find  a  suggestion  of  the  necessity  of  the 
suffering  of  Christ  in  order  to  produce 
faith? 

8.  Where  in  the  section  does  Jesus  sug- 
gest that  the  inability  of  his  hearers  to 
understand  him  springs,  not  from  mental 
lacks,  but  from  inner  and  rooted  hostil- 
ity to  his  ideals  and  spirit? 

9.  Where   does   Jesus,    without   baldly 

stating  it,  suggest  that  he  has  still  much 

truth  to  reveal  to  the  people  which  he 

cannot  utter  because  of  their  hardness  of 

heart? 

63 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

10.  Where  have  we  a  verbal  contradic- 
tion of  the  promise,  "Seek  and  ye  shall 
find"? 

11.  Horace  said  that  his  words  would  be 
more  imperishable  than  brass.  Where  in 
this  chapter  does  Jesus  make  a  still  greater 
claim  about  his  words? 

12.  V.  15.  "Ye  judge  after  the  flesh;  I 
judge  no  man."  Does  Jesus  mean  that  he 
decides  upon  the  fate  of  no  man,  or  does 
he  mean  that  his  only  attitude  toward  any 
man  is  expressed  in  the  attempt  to  save 
and  help  him?  In  the  long  run,  however, 
what  is  the  effect  of  a  skillful  and  sympa- 
thetic attempt  to  save  a  man? 

13.  V.  19.  "If  ye  knew  me,  ye  would 
know  my  Father  also."  Where  in  this 
chapter  does  Jesus  utter  the  complemen- 
tary truth  that  if  a  man  were  in  right 
relation  to  God,  he  would  know  and  ac- 
cept the  Christ? 

14.  V.  20.  "And  no  man  took  him; 
because  his  hour  was  not  yet  come." 
Compare  the  previous  occurrences  of  this 
expression.  Does  it  mean  the  same  thing 
here  as,  for  instance,  in  John  2.  4,  or  does 
it  here  mean  the  hour  of  his  death? 

64 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Blind  Man.     9.  1-41 

1.  What  popular  Jewish  conception  as 
to  the  cause  of  suffering  and  disease  is 
revealed  by  this  chapter? 

2.  V.  3.  "But  that  the  works  of  God 
should  be  made  manifest  in  him."  Does 
Jesus  mean  to  say  that  God  ordained  that 
the  man  should  be  born  blind  in  order 
that  he  might  work  this  miracle,  or  does 
he  here  simply  illustrate  his  practical  at- 
titude toward  the  perplexities  of  life,  and 
say,  We  now  determine  to  make  this  man's 
suffering  result  in  the  glory  of  God? 

3.  V.  4.  What  in  the  attitude  of  the 
Jews,  as  shown  in  the  previous  chapter, 
may  have  suggested  the  figure  of  the  ap- 
proaching night? 

4.  V.  6.  "He  spat  on  the  ground,  and 
made  clay  of  the  spittle,"  etc.  In  what 
previous  miracles  had  Jesus  begun  by  as- 
suming that  the  wholly  inadequate  means 
which  were  at  hand,  supplemented  by  the 
power  of  God,  would  be  sufficient  to  ac- 
complish his  purpose? 

65 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

5.  V.  6.  Did  Jesus  anoint  the  man's 
eyes  with  clay  as  a  curative  agency,  or 
was  this  contact  of  the  hand  of  Jesus  the 
stimulus  to  faith,  and  a  way  of  impelling 
the  man  to  an  act  which  would  express 
his  faith  and  make  it  operative? 

6.  V.  7.  "And  said  unto  him,  Go,  wash 
in  the  pool  of  Siloam."  This  pool,  by  the 
prophet  Isaiah  (8.  5-8),  was  taken  as  a 
symbol  of  the  unseen  supply  of  the  spirit 
of  Jehovah.  John  says  the  Hebrew  word 
"Siloam"  means  "sent,"  in  order  that  the 
reader  may  associate  it  with  whom?  Com- 
pare V.  4,  "We  must  work  the  works  of 
him  that  sent  me." 

7.  What  previous  instances  have  we  had 
where  Jesus  required  those  for  whom  he 
worked  miracles  to  perform  simple  acts  as 
an  expression  of  their  faith? 

8.  V.  14.  "Now  it  was  the  sabbath  on 
the  day  when  Jesus  made  the  clay,"  etc. 
Where  previously  have  we  had  a  Sabbath 
miracle  that  caused  offense? 

9.  V.  22.  "He  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue."  Was  this  equivalent  to  ex- 
pulsion from  church  membership,  or  did  it 
also    carry   with   it   a  kind    of    boycott, 

66 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

like     expulsion     from    a    modern    trade 
union? 

10.  V.  28.  "We  are  disciples  of  Moses." 
Where  had  Jesus  previously  said  that  all 
who  were  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of 
Moses  would  come  to  him? 

11.  V.  39.  "And  Jesus  said,  For  judg- 
ment came  I  into  this  world."  Compare 
3.  18,  and  contrast  3.  17  and  8.  15.  How 
do  you  explain  the  contradiction  between 
the  statement  in  3.  17  that  God  sent  not 
his  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  (or  sen- 
tence) the  world,  and  this  statement  that 
he  came  to  judge? 

12.  Jesus  said,  "Blessed  are  they  that 
have  been  persecuted  for  righteousness' 
sake;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
What  illustration  do  we  find  in  this  chap- 
ter of  the  blessings  that  may  come  to  a 
man  as  the  result  of  his  courageous  atti- 
tude toward  his  persecutors? 

13.  What  were  the  progressive  steps  by 
which  the  man's  faith  developed?  (This  is 
the  important  question.) 


67 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Good  Shepherd.     10.  1-21 

1.  Note  that  the  parable  is  immediately 
related  to  the  previous  incident  (9.  1-41), 
and  cannot  be  interpreted  save  in  the  light 
of  that  incident. 

2.  Read  the  parable  in  order  to  notice 
any  advanced  revelation  concerning  the 
Good  Shepherd,  beyond  that  which  is 
found  in  the  twenty-third  psalm. 

3.  Where  in  this  section  does  Jesus 
prophesy  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  the  final  unity  of  mankind? 

4.  V.  1.  "He  that  entereth  not  by  the 
door  into  the  fold  of  the  sheep,"  etc.  Is 
he  referring  to  the  man  who  enters  into 
the  church  without  true  repentance  and 
grace,  or  to  the  man  who  gets  himself  ap- 
pointed to  leadership  over  the  people  of 
God  when  his  motives  are  selfish  and  his 
methods  are  bad? 

5.  Vs.  4,  5.  "The  sheep  follow  him:  for 
they  know  his  voice.  And  a  stranger  will 
they  not  follow."  Where  have  we  in  this 
Gospel  previous  reference  to  the  inner  gravi- 

68 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

tation    of    the    good    toward    the    Good 
Shepherd? 

6.  V.  8.  "All  that  came  before  me  are 
thieves  and  robbers."  Came  before  me  as 
religious  teachers,  or  as  persons  arrogating 
lordship  over  the  human  conscience,  and 
professing  to  be  mediators  between  God 
and  man?  To  what  class  of  religious 
leaders,  whose  malign  influence  over  the 
people  is  illustrated  in  Chapters  7,  8,  does 
Jesus  plainly  refer? 

7.  Vs.  14,  15.  If  you  have  an  Author- 
ized Version  at  hand,  compare  it  with  the 
Revised  Version,  to  note  how  the  Revised 
Version  brings  out  the  connection  between 
the  two  verses,  and  thus  greatly  illuminates 
the  meaning. 

8.  V.  18.  "This  commandment  received 
I  from  my  Father."  What  commandment? 
What  previous  indications  have  we  in  this 
Gospel  of  Christ's  clear  premonition  of  his 
coming  sufferings,  and  of  his  deliberate 
purpose  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  sins  of 
the  world? 

Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  Dedication 
10.  22-42 

9.  V.  23.   "It  was  winter;  and  Jesus  was 

69 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

walking  in  the  temple  in  Solomon's  porch." 
What  physical  reason  for  Jesus's  walking 
is  here  suggested? 

10.  V.  24.  "If  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell 
us  plainly."  Why  did  not  Jesus  call  him- 
self the  Christ  before  the  Jewish  multi- 
tudes? Was  it  because  the  term  "Mes- 
siah" in  their  minds  meant  too  much,  or 
too  little? 

11.  V.  25.  "Jesus  answered  them,  I  told 
you,  and  ye  believe  not."  Jesus  had  never 
told  the  Jews,  in  so  many  words,  that  he 
was  the  Messiah.  Where,  in  effect,  how- 
ever, had  he  told  them? 

12.  V.  26.  "But  ye  believe  not,  because 
ye  are  not  of  my  sheep."  What  in  the 
inner  temper  and  attitude  of  these  men 
made  them  dislike  Jesus? 

13.  V.  28.  "They  shall  never  perish,  and 
no  one  shall  snatch  them  out  of  my  hand." 
This  might  mean  one  of  two  things — 
either  that  the  members  of  the  true  flock 
could  not  by  any  chance  lose  their  place 
in  the  flock,  or  that  as  long  as  they  chose 
to  be  loyal  no  malign  power  could  snatch 
them  away.  Which  alternative  do  you 
take? 

70 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

14.  V.  35.  In  what  sense  could  the  com- 
ing of  the  word  of  God  to  a  man  make 
him  a  god? 

15.  V.  38.  "But  if  I  do  them,  though  ye 
believe  not  me,  believe  the  works."  What 
distinction  does  Jesus  here  make  between 
faith  in  him  and  faith  in  his  works?  If 
a  man  believed  in  him,  rather  than  in  his 
miracles,  what  evidence  would  be  the  basis 
of  his  faith?  Which  of  the  two  kinds  of 
evidence  would  be  the  more  solid  founda- 
tion for  belief? 


71 


CHAPTER  XI 

1.  Where  in  this  chapter  is  the  prin- 
ciple laid  down  that  if  a  man  is  doing  his 
duty,  and  doing  it  promptly,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  fear? 

2.  What  illustration  do  we  have  in  this 
chapter  of  the  fact  that  it  is  often  the  set 
of  the  will,  quite  as  much  as  the  character 
of  the  evidence,  that  determines  whether 
or  not  men  believe? 

3.  What  evidence  of  the  physical  courage 
of  the  apostolic  band  does  this  lesson 
present? 

4.  Where  in  this  chapter  are  military 
necessity  and  patriotism  made  the  excuse 
for  a  great  crime? 

5.  Critics  call  in  question  the  historical 
character  of  this  incident  on  the  ground 
that  it  is  incredible  that  so  astounding  a 
miracle  would  have  been  omitted  by  the 
Synoptics.  The  student  should  face  this 
problem  squarely,  for  it  is  a  real  difficulty. 
Note,  however,  the  exceeding  lifelikeness 
of  John's  narrative.  Point  out  the  touches 
of  the  eyewitness.    If  the  story  is  difficult 

72 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

to  believe,  it  is  also  very  difficult  not  to 
believe.  It  is  hard  to  understand  how  a 
pure  fiction  could  have  become  a  channel 
of  such  extraordinary  spiritual  power. 

The  Raising  of  Lazarus.     11.  1-57 

6.  What  verse  gives  the  central  message 
of  the  story  of  Lazarus? 

7.  Read  the  story  of  Martha  and  Mary 
which  is  given  in  Luke  10.  38-42,  and  then 
note  any  word  or  action  of  Martha  in 
John's  account  that  bears  out  the  impression 
of  her  character  which  we  get  from  Luke. 

8.  V.  4.  "This  sickness  is  not  unto 
death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God."  Where 
have  we  previously  noted  a  similar  deter- 
mination on  the  part  of  Jesus  to  bring  the 
glory  of  God  out  of  an  untoward  and 
tragic  condition? 

9.  V.  6.  "When  therefore  he  heard  that 
he  was  sick,  he  abode  at  that  time  two 
days  in  the  place,"  etc.  What  would 
have  been  the  natural  impulse  of  Jesus,  on 
receiving  such  a  message  as  this,  to  go  at 
once,  or  to  tarry?  Can  you  surmise  any 
reason  why  he  remained  where  he  was  for 
two  days? 

73 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

10.  V.  25.  "I  am  the  resurrection,  and 
the  life."  Note  that  this  great  announce- 
ment is  but  a  continuation  of  the  fixed 
habit  of  the  evangelist.  He  always  sums 
up  all  potency  in  Jesus  himself.  Recall 
the  previous  "I  am's"  of  the  Gospel. 
Where  previously  in  this  Gospel  has  Jesus 
proclaimed  his  power  over  death? 

11.  V.  28.  Why  did  Martha  call  Mary, 
her  sister,  secretly? 

12.  V.  30.  "Now  Jesus  was  not  yet 
come  into  the  village,"  etc.  Why  did  not 
Jesus  enter  into  the  village  at  once,  and 
go  to  the  house  of  the  sisters? 

13.  V.  33.  "He  groaned  in  the  spirit," 
etc.  What  was  it  that  so  painfully  stirred 
the  emotions  of  Jesus?  Was  it  his  deep 
sympathy  with  the  sorrow  of  the  sisters? 
Was  it  the  battle  with  the  mysterious 
powers  of  darkness  that  opposed  his 
triumph  over  death?  Was  it  the  atmos- 
phere of  murderous  hate  with  which  he  was 
surrounded,  and  the  consciousness  that  this 
good  deed  was  about  to  seal  his  own  doom? 

14.  What  characteristics  of  Jesus  are  il- 
lustrated in  this  story  of  the  raising  of 
Lazarus? 

74 


CHAPTER  XII 

1.  What  picturesque  illustration  do  you 
find  in  this  chapter  of  the  way  in  which 
different  types  of  men  interpret  phenomena 
in  widely  different  ways? 

2.  What  evidence  have  we  in  this  chap- 
ter that  Nicodemus  was  not  alone  among 
the  rulers  in  his  appreciation  of  the  words 
of  Jesus? 

The  Anointing  at  Bethany.     12.  1-11 

3.  V.  7.  "Suffer  her  to  keep  it  against 
the  day  of  my  burying."  Does  Jesus 
mean,  "Allow  her  to  keep  the  remaining 
part  for  use  at  the  day  of  my  burying," 
or  does  he  say,  "Do  not  criticize  an  act 
which  is  essentially  the  same  as  the  setting 
apart  of  a  precious  ointment  to  be  used  at 
my  near-approaching  burial"  (an  act  which 
no  Jew  would  condemn)?  (See  19.  39.) 
Compare  again  the  story  of  Jesus's  former 
visit  to  the  home  of  Martha  and  Mary 
(Luke  10.  38-42).  Mary  in  the  former  in- 
cident had  been  criticized  for  taking  time 
to  listen.    What  good  effect  of  the  listening 

75 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

habit  is  manifested  in  the  story  of  our 
lesson  to-day? 

The  Triumphal  Entry.     12.  12-19 

4.  Did  Jesus  deliberately  plan  for  a 
triumphal  entry,  or  plan  to  turn  the  spon- 
taneous ovation,  which  he  knew  to  be 
inevitable,  into  right  channels? 

5.  Why  did  Jesus  choose  an  ass,  rather 
than  a  horse,  to  ride  upon?  The  answer 
is  suggested  in  the  prophetic  utterance 
from  which  John  quotes.  (See  Zech.  9. 
9-10.) 

6.  Upon  what  class  of  people,  ana  upon 
people  of  what  age,  would  the  picturesque 
scene  of  the  triumphal  entry  make  an 
especially  helpful  and  enduring  impression? 

7.  What  ground  for  question  and  doubt 
would  have  existed  if  Jesus  had  died  with- 
out ever  allowing  the  multitude  to  pro- 
claim him  as  the  Messiah? 

The  Visit  of  the  Greeks.     12.  20-36a 

8.  What  in  the  story  suggests  that  the 
Greeks  had  doubts  as  to  whether  so  famous 
a  rabbi  as  Jesus  would  feel  it  worth  his 
while  to  talk  with  Gentiles? 

76 


QUESTIONANIRE 

9.  V.  24.  "Except  a  grain  of  wheat," 
etc.  What  connection  is  there  between 
the  thought  of  the  necessity  of  the  Passion 
in  order  that  the  Christ  should  multiply 
his  influence  throughout  the  world,  and  the 
request  of  the  Greeks  to  see  him?  What 
proposition  would  the  Greeks  be  likely  to 
make  to  Jesus?    Compare  7.  35. 

10.  Do  you  imagine  that  the  thought  of 
leaving  Jerusalem  and  going  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, to  be  among  them  a  sage  and  philos- 
opher, was  a  real  temptation  to  Jesus? 

11.  V.  27.  "For  this  cause  came  I  unto 
this  hour."    For  what  cause? 

12.  V.  32.  "And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from 
the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  myself." 
Recall  references  to  Christ's  lifting  up  in 
Chapters  3  and  8. 

Reasons  for  Israel's  Rejection  of 
Jesus.     12.  36b-43 

13.  Vs.  39,  40.  "For  this  cause  they 
could  not  believe."  Does  he  mean  that 
God  foreordained  them  not  to  be  saved, 
or  that  their  previous  fixed  habits  of  in- 
sincerity had  rendered  them  incapable  of 
responding  to  the  light? 

77 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

A  Resume  of  Our  Lord's  Public 
Teaching.     12.  44-50 

14.  Does  this  resume  of  Jesus 's  teaching 
suggest  to  you  any  previous  sayings  in 
the  Gospel? 


78 


CHAPTER  XIII 

1.  What  two  indications  have  we  in  this 
chapter  that  the  meal  here  described  was 
not  the  feast  of  the  passover,  but  that  it 
occurred  before  the  passover?  Compare 
the  Synoptics  that  plainly  suggest  that  the 
meal  was  the  regular  Jewish  passover 
(Matt.  26.  17ff.;  Mark  14.  12-16;  Luke 
22.  7-15).  Note  the  discussions  in  the 
commentaries. 

2.  Where  does  John  suggest  that  there 
was  a  peculiar  warmth  and  tenderness  in 
Jesus's  dealings  with  his  disciples  on  that 
last  night? 

3.  What  facts  in  the  inner  consciousness 
of  Jesus  does  John  bring  out  to  emphasize 
the  amazing  condescension  of  Christ  in 
washing  the  disciples'  feet? 

4.  What  light  have  we  in  this  chapter 
on  the  question  as  to  whether  humility 
always  consists  in  a  light  estimate  of 
oneself? 

5.  Where  does  Jesus  in  this  chapter  pro- 
nounce doom  on  the  caste  system? 

6.  Where  in  this  chapter  does  Jesus  sug- 

79 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

gest  that  hospitality  and  generous  open- 
mindedness  toward  the  messengers  of  God 
mean  the  coming  of  God  himself  into  the 
life? 

The  Feet-Washing.     13.  1-20 

7.  Luke  22.  24-27  suggests  that  no  one 
had  performed  the  act  of  washing  the  dis- 
ciples' feet  because  each  was  unwilling  to 
take  a  place  subordinate  to  the  rest.  What 
was  the  primary  motive  of  Jesus  in  wash- 
ing their  feet  himself?  To  teach  them  a 
lesson,  or  to  do  something  that  needed  to 
be  done  for  their  comfort?  Is  the  feet- 
washing  a  mere  ceremony,  or  a  practical 
deed  of  kindness? 

8.  John  omits  all  reference  to  the  bread 
and  wine  that  were  to  be  taken  as  emblems 
of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  Where, 
however,  in  a  previous  chapter  has  this 
thought  been  fully  brought  out? 

The  Pointing  Out  of  the  Traitor 
13.  21-38 

9.  What  possible  good  effect  might  the 
revelation  of  Judas's  traitorous  designs 
have  had  (a)  upon  Judas?     (b)  upon  the 

80 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

disciples?  (The  effect  that  it  was  designed 
to  have  upon  the  other  disciples  is  plainly 
alluded  to  in  the  chapter.) 

10.  V.  23.  "There  was  at  the  table  re- 
clining in  Jesus's  bosom  one  of  his  dis- 
ciples." What  is  meant  by  reclining  in 
his  bosom? 

11.  V.  26.  What,  in  Oriental  social  life, 
did  the  giving  of  the  sop  signify?  We  have 
here  illustrated  what  saying  of  Jesus  con- 
tained in  8.  14-16? 

12.  V.  27.  "And  after  the  sop,  then  en- 
tered Satan  into  him."  Are  we  to  under- 
stand that  Judas  was  conscious  of  being 
pointed  out  as  the  traitor,  and  therefore 
became  furiously  angry?  Or  are  we  to 
understand  that  because  Judas  hardened 
himself  against  this  expression  of  special 
kindness  and  courtesy  on  the  part  of  Jesus, 
the  striving  of  the  Spirit  with  him  ceased, 
and  he  became  fully  possessed  of  the 
powers  of  darkness? 

13.  What  does  the  fact  that  Judas  was 
allowed  to  carry  the  bag  even  after  his 
thieving  was  known  to  Jesus  indicate  as 
to  the  Master's  conception  of  the  best 
antidote  to  betrayal  of  confidence? 

81 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

14.  V.  30.  "He  .  .  .  went  out:  .  .  .  and 
it  was  night."  Does  John  simply  wish  to 
say  that  it  was  physically  dark,  or  is  there 
an  added  suggestion  of  another  night  into 
which  Judas  had  gone? 

15.  V.  31.  "When  therefore  he  was  gone 
out,  Jesus  saith,  Now  is  the  Son  of  man 
glorified."  Explain  so  as  to  show  what 
Jesus  meant  by  glorified,  and  why  he 
should  have  been  moved  to  this  exclama- 
tion at  this  particular  time. 

16.  V.  34.  The  command  to  love  is  as 
old  as  the  books  of  Moses.  In  what  re- 
spect is  the  command  of  Jesus,  "Love  one 
another;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,"  new? 

17.  V.  38.  What  effect  was  the  predic- 
tion of  Peter's  denial  designed  to  have 
upon  him?  Does  Peter  manifest  in  this 
interview  any  of  the  qualities  that  led  to 
his  denial? 

18.  There  was  evidently  in  the  mind  of 
Jesus  a  very  great  difference  between  the 
betrayal  of  Judas  and  the  denial  of  Peter. 
Wherein  did  that  difference  consist? 


82 


CHAPTER  XIV 

1.  Reread  John  14  enough  times  to  con- 
vince yourself  what  it  is  about  the  chapter 
that  gives  it  such  a  unique  hold  upon  the 
race. 

2.  What  saying  in  this  lesson  is  very 
surprising,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Jesus 
was  then  entering  into  the  shades  of  Geth- 
semane? 

3.  What  reason  does  Jesus  give  for  an- 
swering the  prayers  of  his  disciples?  Does 
he  later  on  in  the  chapter  give  a  different, 
or  a  similar  reason,  for  submitting  to  his 
suffering? 

4.  Jesus  makes  certain  great  announce- 
ments about  himself  in  this  chapter^  and 
then  gives  assurance  of  certain  practical 
proofs  of  these  truths  which  a  man  may 
have  who  is  willing  to  make  the  test. 
What,  in  your  own  language,  are  the 
great  announcements,  and  what  are  the 
proofs  of  their  validity?  What  does  Jesus 
say    a    man    must    do    to    receive   these 

proofs? 

83 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

Jesus  and  the  Father.     14.  1-14 

5.  After  committing  Vs.  1-12,  answer 
the  following  questions: 

6.  V.  11.  "Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  in  me:  or  else 
believe  me  for  the  very  works'  sake."  If 
the  disciples  had  believed  Jesus  on  some 
other  basis  than  his  miracles,  what  would 
that  basis  have  been? 

7.  V.  12.  "Greater  works  than  these 
shall  he  do."  How  has  this  promise  been 
fulfilled? 

8.  Why  can  his  disciples  do  greater 
works  than  Jesus  did? 

9.  Vs.  13,  14.  "If  ye  shall  ask  anything 
in  my  name,"  etc.  Does  asking  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  mean  that  they  should 
look  to  Jesus  as  a  Mediator,  or  that  they 
should  use  his  name  as  a  kind  of  magic 
power,  or  that  they  should  ask  as  his  rep- 
resentatives? 

10.  V.  14.  What  would  necessarily  be 
the  nature  of  a  prayer  that  was  asked 
in  the  name  of  Jesus?  It  would  have  to 
be  along  what  lines,  and  for  what  pur- 
poses? 

84 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

Jesus  Foretells  the  Coming  of  the 
Spirit.     14.  15-24 

11.  V.  16.  Note  the  other  renditions  of 
the  word  translated  "Comforter." 

12.  V.  18.  "I  come  unto  you."  Does 
this  refer  to  an  inner  spiritual  coming,  or 
an  outward  visible  coming,  or  to  both? 
Has  it  been  fulfilled  once,  or  many  times? 

13.  Vs.  22,  23.  To  Judas  the  proposal 
of  Jesus  to  manifest  himself  to  the  dis- 
ciples, and  not  unto  the  world,  seems 
arbitrary  and  partial.  Jesus  suggests  by 
his  answer  that  the  special  manifestation 
to  the  disciples  is  solely  because  they  have 
complied  with  a  condition  which  may  be 
met  by  all  men.    What  is  that  condition? 

Previous  Words  of  Comfort  Reiter- 
ated in  Different  Form.   14.  25-31 

14.  V.  27.  "Not  as  the  world  giveth, 
give  I  unto  you."  What  is  the  difference 
between  Jesus's  gift  of  peace,  and  that 
which  the  Oriental  constantly  invokes  upon 
those  whom  he  meets? 


85 


CHAPTER  XV 

1.  Read  the  chapter  through  to  discover 
the  various  ways  in  which  the  idea  that 
Christ  is  the  source  of  life  is  repeated. 

2.  Read  the  chapter  to  note  the  repeated 
insistence  on  keeping  the  commandments 
as  the  condition  of  maintaining  vital  rela- 
tions with  Christ. 

3.  It  is  often  said  that  the  historical 
facts  of  Jesus's  life  are  not  an  essential  and 
necessary  part  of  the  Gospel.  Where  in  this 
chapter  is  it  suggested  that  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  must  be  seconded  by  the  work 
of  men  who  have  known  the  whole  career 
of  Jesus? 

4.  In  Chapter  13  Jesus  had  said  that  a 
servant  must  not  expect  to  be  greater  than 
his  lord  in  the  matter  of  performing  menial 
tasks.  In  this  chapter  he  says  that  a 
servant  must  not  expect  to  be  greater  than 
his  lord  in  the  matter  of  enduring  what 
experience? 

5.  What  reason  does  Jesus  in  this  chap- 
ter give  for  the  unpopularity  both  of  him- 
self and  of  his  true  disciples? 

86 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

6.  Where  does  Jesus  insist  that  it  is  the 
will  of  God  that  his  disciples  should  not 
only  have  influence,  but  a  permanent  in- 
fluence? 

7.  Where  in  this  chapter  is  it  suggested 
that  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
Christian  religion  is  that,  in  contrast  with 
other  forms  of  religion,  it  gives  men,  not 
only  precepts,  but  inner  understanding  of 
the  reason  for  these  precepts,  and  insight 
into  the  whole  program  of  God? 

8.  What,  according  to  this  chapter,  is 
the  supreme  test  of  friendship? 

The  Vine  and  the  Branches.    15.  1-27 

9.  Vs.  1-7.  Memorize  these  verses,  and 
then  put  down  whatever  comments  have 
spontaneously  occurred  to  you. 

10.  V.  2.  "Every  branch  in  me  that 
beareth  fruit."  Read  the  chapter  through 
for  suggestions  as  to  what  is  meant  by 
fruit-bearing. 

11.  V.  3.  "Already  ye  are  clean."  Where 
in  Chapter  13  had  Jesus  made  the  same 
statement? 

12.  V.  4.  "Abide  in  me."  Does  this 
mean,  "Continue  in  the  habitual  obedience 

87 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

to  my  commandments,"  or,  "Continue  to 
look  to  me  for  power  and  life,"  or  both? 

13.  V.  11.  "That  your  joy  may  be  made 
full."  Does  Jesus  contemplate  the  instan- 
taneous completion  of  their  joy,  or  is  he 
thinking  of  putting  them  into  that  rela- 
tionship with  him  that  will  develop  into 
the  fullest  joy?  What  does  this  chapter 
suggest  as  the  chief  source  of  Christ's  joy? 

14.  V.  12.  "This  is  my  commandment, 
that  ye  love  one  another,  even  as  I  have 
loved  you."  Where  in  Chapter  13  have 
we  the  same  words? 

15.  Vs.  13-16.  Read  the  verses  in  the 
light  of  the  statement  that  "they  are  a 
commentary  on  the  command,  'Love  one 
another  as  I  have  loved  you.'  " 

16.  V.  15.  "All  things  that  I  have  heard 
from  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto 
you."  Where  in  5.  19-29  does  Jesus  say 
that  the  Father  deals  with  him  after  the 
same  fashion? 

17.  V.  16.  "Ye  did  not  choose  me,  but 
I  chose  you."  Why  is  this  fact  men- 
tioned? Is  it  intended  to  encourage,  or 
humble  the  disciples? 


88 


CHAPTER  XVI 

1.  Where  in  this  chapter  is  it  taught 
that  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  take 
the  germinant  principles  of  Jesus  and 
apply  them  in  new  and  fresh  ways  to 
novel  situations  as  they  arise? 

2.  What  does  Jesus  say  concerning  the 
Holy  Spirit  which  he  has  previously  as- 
serted concerning  himself? 

3.  It  is  suggested  in  this  chapter  that 
from  this  time  forth  the  praying  of  the 
disciples  is  to  be  different.  In  what 
respect? 

The  Coming  Conflict  and  the  Coming 
Comforter.     16.  1-33 

4.  V.  7.  "The  Comforter."  Note  the 
alternative  translations  in  the  margin. 

5.  V.  7.  "It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I 
go  away."  Why  was  it  expedient  for  them 
that  Christ  should  die,  and  ascend  out  of 
their  sight? 

6.  V.  8.  What  is  meant  by  convicting 
the  world  of  righteousness?  That  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  righteousness,  or  that  the 
thing  which  Jesus  stood  for  was  the  ideal? 

89 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

7.  V.  10.  "Of  righteousness,  because  I 
go  to  the  Father,  and  ye  behold  me  no 
more."  Why  would  the  resurrection  and 
ascension  of  Jesus  convict  the  world  of 
his  righteousness? 

8.  V.  11.  "Of  judgment,  because  the 
prince  of  this  world  hath  been  judged." 
What  experience  of  Jesus,  in  which  the 
prince  of  this  world  seemed  to  conquer, 
was,  in  reality,  the  undoing  of  the  evil 
powers? 

9.  V.  13.  "He  shall  declare  unto  you 
the  things  that  are  to  come."  Does  this 
mean  that  he  will  predict  the  future,  or 
that  he  will  guide  them  in  the  decision  of 
the  problems  that  will  arise,  or  both? 
(Acts  20.  29-30;  11.  27-30;  27.  9-10,  21-26; 
2  Tim.  3.  Iff.;  Acts  10.  1-44;  13.  1-3;  16. 
6-10;  15.  1-41,  especially  v.  28.) 

10.  V.  22.  "And  ye  therefore  now  have 
sorrow:  but  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your 
heart  shall  rejoice."  Is  the  appearance  of 
Christ  which  is  here  predicted  the  ap- 
pearance after  the  resurrection,  or  the 
appearance  at  the  end  of  the  age,  or 
Christ's  sudden  manifestation  of  himself  to 
his  disciples  as  a  living  reality  when,  after 

90 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

faith  and  patience,  they  have  the  witness 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  or  when  they  see  his 
outstretched  hand  of  judgment  in  human 
affairs? 

11.  V.  24..  "Hitherto  have  ye  asked 
nothing  in  my  name."  Does  this  mean 
that  hitherto  their  prayers  had  not  been 
in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  and 
for  the  purposes  which  he  stood  for,  or 
does  it  mean  that  they  had  not  based 
their  plea  on  his  merits? 

12.  V.  33.  "These  things  have  I  spoken 
unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  may  have  peace." 
For  what  purpose  is  it  said  in  Chapter  15 
that  he  had  spoken  these  things? 

13.  Read  one  of  the  apocalypses  con- 
cerning the  end  of  things  in  the  Synoptic 
Gospels,  as,  for  instance,  Mark  13;  and 
then  contrast  its  hopes  with  those  voiced 
in  John  14-16  (written  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem).  What  is  the  main  dh\ 
ference  between  the  two  outlooks? 

14.  Review  the  references  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  upper  room  discourses  (14-16). 
Try  and  combine  into  a  unified  conception 
the  various  statements  which  Jesus  makes 
concerning  the  Holy  Spirit. 

91 


CHAPTER  XVII 

1.  What  condition  does  Jesus  here  set 
forth  as  fundamental  for  the  establishment 
of  faith  in  the  world? 

2.  What,  according  to  this  prayer,  is  to 
be  the  source  of  all  power,  unity,  and  love 
in  believers? 

3.  What  is  the  chief  underlying  thought 
of  the  whole  prayer? 

4.  The  Prologue  says,  "In  the  beginning 
was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Word  was  God."  Where 
have  we  in  this  chapter  a  reiteration  of 
this  teaching? 

5.  Where  have  we,  in  spite  of  the  vivid 
contrast  between  the  church  and  the  world 
which  is  everywhere  insisted  upon,  a  plain 
statement  that  the  church  is  not  to  quar- 
antine against  contact  with  the  world? 

6.  Where  in  the  chapter  does  Jesus  refer 
to  his  Passion? 

The  Intercessory  Prayer.     17.  1-26 

7.  The  prayer  falls  into  three  parts: 
I.  For  himself. 

92 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

II.  For  his  immediate  disciples. 
III.  For  those  who  through  the  disciples' 
word  should  believe  on  him. 
Put  the  verses  after  each  heading. 

8.  V.  1.  "The  hour  is  come."  Where 
previously  has  it  been  said  that  his  hour 
was  not  yet  come? 

9.  V.  2.  "That  to  all  whom  thou  hast 
given  him,  he  should  give  eternal  life."  Is 
this  designed  to  assert  mechanical  foreor- 
dination,  or  to  encourage  men  to  believe 
that  there  can  be  no  accidents  in  the 
spiritual  realm,  but  that  all  who  long  for 
God  will  ultimately  be  found  by  the 
Saviour? 

10.  V.  11.  "Keep  them  in  thy  name." 
Explain. 

11.  V.  17.  "Sanctify  them  in  the  truth: 
thy  word  is  truth."  What  is  meant  by 
the  word  "sanctify"?  Are  the  disciples  to 
be  sanctified  by  means  of  the  truth,  or 
sanctified  to  a  life  in  harmony  with  the 
truth? 

12.  V.  19.  "And  for  their  sakes  I  sanc- 
tify myself."  To  what  act  does  Jesus  espe- 
cially refer? 

13.  V.  22.    "And  the  glory  which  thou 

93 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

hast  given  me  I  have  given  unto  them." 
What  was  the  nature  of  the  glory  which 
he  had  given  them? 


94 


CHAPTER  XVm 

1.  We  have  in  this  chapter  certain  de- 
tails which  would  hardly  have  been  in- 
serted unless  they  had  been  the  vivid 
reminiscences  of  an  eyewitness.  Point  out 
some  of  them. 

2.  Peter  had  said  that  he  would  lay 
down  his  life  for  Jesus.  Does  he,  or  does 
he  not,  according  to  this  lesson,  risk  his 
life  in  defense  of  him? 

3.  According  to  Luke,  just  before  his 
arrest  Jesus  had  said  to  the  disciples  that 
if  they  had  no  sword  they  should  sell  their 
cloaks  and  buy  one  (22.  36).  What  oc- 
currence in  this  chapter  plainly  indicates 
that  Jesus  did  not  mean  that  the  disciples 
should  take  him  literally? 

4.  John  omits  the  story  of  Gethsemane 
where  Jesus  says,  "If  it  be  possible,  let 
this  cup  pass  from  me."  Where,  however, 
in  this  chapter  have  we  in  the  words  of 
Jesus  a  reminiscence  of  this  prayer? 

5.  What  illustration  have  we  in  this 
chapter  of  the    saying  of  John  in  13.  1, 

95 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

"Having  loved  his  own  that  were  in  the 
world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end"? 

6.  In  the  story  of  the  opposition  to  Jesus 
on  account  of  his  Sabbath  miracles  (Chaps. 
5  and  9)  we  have  seen  how  utter  wicked- 
ness may  be  united  with  fastidious,  con- 
scientious scruples.  Where  is  this  fact 
vividly  illustrated  in  Chapter  18? 

7.  What  characteristics  of  Jesus  is  John 
most  anxious  to  have  us  note  in  the  story 
of  the  arrest? 


The  Arrest  and  Denial.     18.  1-27 

8.  V.  4.  "Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all 
the  things  that  were  coming  upon  him, 
went  forth."    Why  did  he  go  forth? 

9.  V.  6.  "They  went  backward,  and  fell 
to  the  ground."  In  what  previous  chapter 
have  we  had  an  illustration  of  the  power  of 
Christ's  personality  to  awe  those  who  were 
sent  to  arrest  him? 

10.  Vs.  15-27.  Is  there  any  relation  be- 
tween Jesus's  attitude  toward  Peter's 
heroic  attempt  to  save  him  by  attacking 
the  soldiers  and  this  sudden  reaction  of 
cowardice? 

96 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

The  Trial  Before  Pilate.     18.  28-40 

11.  V.  30.  "If  this  man  were  not  an 
evil-doer,  we  should  not  have  delivered 
him  up  unto  thee."  What  made  the  Jews 
give  Pilate  this  evasive  answer? 

12.  V.  32.  "That  the  word  of  Jesus 
might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signi- 
fying by  what  manner  of  death  he  should 
die."  Where,  according  to  John,  did  Jesus 
speak  these  words? 

13.  V.  39.  Why  did  Pilate  call  to  the 
people's  mind  his  custom  of  releasing  one 
at  the  passover? 


97 


CHAPTER  XIX 

1.  Where  in  this  chapter  do  we  have 
marks  of  the  eyewitness? 

2.  Where  is  there  a  definite  claim  that 
the  chapter  embodies  the  report  of  an  eye- 
witness? 

3.  Where  does  Jesus  express  his  faith  in 
the  overruling  control  of  Providence,  even 
in  this  black  hour? 

4.  What  additional  evidence  do  we  find 
in  this  chapter  of  the  extreme  conscien- 
tiousness about  matters  of  ritual  that 
characterized  the  Jews,  even  in  the  midst 
of  their  great  crime? 

The  Trial  Before  Pilate  (Continued) 
19.  1-16 

5.  V.  1.  "Then  Pilate  therefore  took 
Jesus,  and  scourged  him."  Did  Pilate  do 
this  to  satisfy  the  Jews,  or  with  the  hope 
of  arousing  their  sympathy  to  a  reaction  of 
pity  for  Jesus? 

6.  V.  6.  "They  cried,  .  .  .  Crucify  him." 
In  your  opinion,  was  this  the  crowd  of 
peasants  that  greeted  Jesus  at  the  trium- 

98 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

phal  entry,  or  the  lower  elements  of  the 
city,  and  the  hangers-on  of  the  chief 
priests? 

7.  V.  8.  "When  Pilate  therefore  heard 
this  saying,  he  was  the  more  afraid."  Was 
Pilate  afraid  that  perhaps  Jesus  might 
have  some  mysterious  power,  or  was  he 
afraid  of  the  people? 

8.  V.  9.  "But  Jesus  gave  him  no  an- 
swer."   Why?    Compare  Luke  23.  8-12. 

9.  V.  10.  "Pilate  therefore  saith  unto 
him,  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?"  What 
word  is  emphatic? 

10.  V.  11.  "Therefore  he  that  delivered 
me  unto  thee  hath  greater  sin."  To  whom 
does  he  refer?  Why  was  his  sin  greater 
than  that  of  the  heathen  Pilate? 

11.  V.  16.  What  were  the  influences 
that  led  Pilate  to  yield  at  last  to  the  wish 
of  the  Jews? 

The  Crucifixion  and  Burial.    19.  17-42 

12.  Read  the  account  of  the  crucifixion 
in  Matt.  27.  32-56;  Mark  15.  21-41;  and 
Luke  23.  26-49,  and  note  the  main  inci- 
dents given  in  each  of  them  which  are  not 
found  in  John's  account. 

99 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

13.  What  are  the  main  details  which  are 
found  in  John  alone? 

14.  Vs.  19-22.  Why  is  John  so  inter- 
ested in  telling  us  of  Pilate's  refusal  to 
change  his  inscription,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth 
the  King  of  the  Jews"?  Does  he  conceive 
that  a  divine  hand  had  controlled  Pilate's 
action  at  this  time,  just  as  Caiaphas,  in 
spite  of  his  evil  intent,  was  led  unwittingly 
to  make  a  true  prophecy  that  Christ  should 
die  for  the  people?     (11.  49-52.) 

15.  V.  39.  "And  there  came  also  Nico- 
demus  .  .  .  ,  bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh 
and  aloes,  about  a  hundred  pounds." 
What  is  the  point  of  mentioning  the 
weight? 

16.  What  passages  of  the  18th  and  19th 
chapters  especially  bring  out — 

I.  The  voluntariness  of  Christ's  suf- 
fering? 
II.  The  fulfillment  of  a  divine  plan  in 
Christ's  suffering? 
III.  The  majesty  which  shines  through 

Christ's  sufferings? 
Write  out  the  references  and  opposite 
each  reference  the  indication  of  its  sub- 
stance. 

100 


CHAPTER  XX 

1.  What  details  in  this  story  are  of  such 
character  as  would  be  very  natural  for  one 
who  was  personally  concerned  in  them  to 
relate,  but  not  so  natural  for  a  later  writer 
to  preserve  to  us? 

2.  Does  John  in  this  chapter  try  to 
prove  the  fact  that  Christ  rose  from  the 
dead,  or  is  he,  rather,  interested  in  giving 
Christ's  revelations  of  himself  and  of  his 
truth,  which  were  made  to  the  disciples 
after  the  resurrection?  Contrast  the  ac- 
count of  the  resurrection  in  1  Cor.  15.  3-7, 
which  was  put  down  with  a  distinctly  dif- 
ferent purpose  in  mind. 

3.  Where  in  this  chapter  do  you  find  a 
statement  of  John's  purpose  in  writing  the 
Gospel? 

4.  What  statement  in  the  chapter  sug- 
gests that  the  disciples  had  no  strong 
mental  presuppositions  in  favor  of  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus? 

The  Empty  Tomb.    20.  1-10 

5.  Vs.  6-7.    Wherein  was  the  fact  that 

101 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

they  found  the  stone  rolled  away,  and  the 
grave  clothes  lying  in  orderly  array,  an 
evidence  that  Christ  was  risen  from  the 
dead? 

6.  Were  these  details  about  the  grave 
clothes  sufficient  to  prove  the  resurrection 
to  the  beloved  disciple,  or  were  they 
simply  the  last  straw? 

The  Appearance  to  Mary  Magdalene 
20.  11-18 

7.  For  what  purpose  had  Mary  come  to 
the  tomb?     (Luke  24.  1.) 

8.  V.  17.  "Touch  me  not."  By  repelling 
Mary  Magdalene's  desire  for  the  renewing 
of  the  earthly  friendship,  what  greater 
blessing  does  Jesus  intend  to  bestow  upon 
her? 

The  First  Appearance  to  the  Apostles 
in  the  Upper  Room.    20.  19-23 

9.  What  reminiscences  of  previous  words 
of  Jesus  come  to  you  as  you  read  this  first 
interview  of  the  risen  Christ  with  the  apos- 
tolic group? 

10.  V.  20.  "He  showed  unto  them  his 
hands  and  his  side."    Why? 

102 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

11.  V.  21.  "Jesus  therefore  said  to  them 
again,  Peace  be  unto  you."  This  makes 
you  think  of  what  saying  in  the  14th 
chapter? 

12.  V.  23.  "Whose  soever  sins  ye  for- 
give, they  are  forgiven  unto  them."  Does 
this  mean  that  they  are  the  authoritative 
expounders  of  the  conditions  of  forgiveness, 
or  that  they  are  endowed  with  insight  to 
know  when  people  have  met  these  condi- 
tions, or  that,  by  reason  of  their  insight 
into  the  conditions  of  forgiveness,  their 
deep  penetration  into  the  secrets  of  the 
human»heart,  and  the  grace  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  which  was  upon  them,  they  are  en- 
dowed with  power  to  communicate  the 
forgiving  grace  of  God? 

13.  Are  we  to  understand  that  the  power 
of  forgiving  sins  would  abide  with  the  apos- 
tles by  virtue  of  their  office,  or  only  by 
virtue  of  their  continued  experience  of  the 
power  and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
their  lives? 

14.  The  commission  to  forgive  sins,  ac- 
cording to  the  Synoptic  Gospels,  was  con- 
ferred upon  Peter  (Matt.  16.  19).  Here  it 
is  conferred  upon  the  eleven.    Are  we  to 

103 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

understand  that  it  is  the  privilege  of  all 
who  meet  the  conditions  which  Peter  and 
the  apostles  fulfilled?  Compare  the  an- 
cient prophet's  exercise  of  this  preroga- 
tive (2  Sam.  12.  13). 

The  Appearance  to  Thomas.    20.  24-31 

15.  In  the  previous  reference  to  Thomas 
in  this  Gospel,  what  light  is  thrown  on  his 
character? 

16.  Is  it  likely  that  Thomas  was  a  nat- 
ural skeptic,  or  a  man  subject  to  profound 
fits  of  depression  from  which  it  seemed 
impossible  for  him  to  rouse  himself? 

17.  V.  29.  "Blessed  are  they  that  have 
not  seen,  and  yet  have  believe#d."  Is  it 
ever  right  to  believe  withoutjevidence? 
See  Mark  13.  5;  also  the  first  Epistle  of 
John  4.  1. 

18.  What  evidence  had  Thomas  already 
had,  during  the  three  years  of  his  associa- 
tion with  Christ,  that  was  sufficient  to 
make  it  credible  that  the  Saviour  would 
rise  from  the  dead? 

19.  Is  the  blessing  then  pronounced  upon 
the  man  who  believes  without  evidence,  or 
upon  the  man  who  is  so  spiritually  sensitive 

104 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

to  the  evidence  that  is  found  in  the  majesty 
of  Christ,  the  fascination  of  his  personality 
and  his  wondrous  power  over  the  human 
spirit,  that  he  does  not  demand  the  added 
evidence  that  appeals  to  the  senses? 

20.  Where  in  the  first  chapter  of  John 
have  we  seen  Jesus  pleased  with  a  disciple 
who  believed  in  him  on  evidence  that 
would  only  have  been  impressive  to  a 
deeply  spiritual  nature? 


105 


CHAPTER  XXI 

1.  Do  you  find  anything  in  Chapter  20 
which  leads  you  to  suppose  that  Chapter 
21  is  an  afterthought,  rather  than  a  part 
of  the  original  plan  of  the  Gospel? 

2.  Note  indications  in  the  chapter 

(a)  of  the  work  of  the  eyewitness, 

(b)  of  the  hand  of  an  editor. 

3.  John's  Gospel  (Chaps.  14-16)  chiefly 
emphasizes  the  coming  of  Christ  through 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  individual.  What 
indication,  however,  do  we  find  in  this 
chapter  that  the  author  had  not  dismissed 
the  thought  of  a  final  visible  coming  of 
Christ? 

4.  It  is  characteristic  of  John's  Gospel 
that  he  often  expects  his  readers  to  take 
him  literally,  but  at  the  same  time  to  see 
symbolical  suggestions  in  his  words.  Where 
in  the  present  lesson  do  we  find  illustra- 
tions of  this  combined  literalism  and  sym- 
bolism? 

5.  What  indications  have  we  in  this 
chapter  that  the  evangelist  gives  us  only  a 
few  of  the  numberless  activities  of  Jesus, 

106 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

and  develops  but  little  of  the  endless  sug- 
gestiveness  of  his  teachings? 

6.  The  Simon  Peter  of  the  Synoptic 
Gospels,  and  also  the  Simon  Peter  por- 
trayed in  the  previous  chapters  of  this 
Gospel,  is  a  person  of  aggressive  character 
and  leadership.  Where  in  the  present 
chapter  does  he  exhibit  these  characteris- 
tics? 

7.  Simon  Peter  had  said  (13.  37),  "I 
will  lay  down  my  life  for  thee."  Jesus 
had  replied  that,  on  the  contrary,  Peter 
would  deny  him.  Where  in  the  present 
chapter,  however,  do  we  find  that  Peter's 
protestation  is  to  be  fulfilled? 

8.  Jesus,  the  night  before  his  crucifixion, 
had  said  to  Simon  Peter  (13.  36),  "Whither 
I  go  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now,  but 
thou  shalt  follow  afterwards."  What  word 
of  Jesus  in  this  chapter  recalls  this  saying? 

9.  It  is  common  to-day  to  say  that  reli- 
gion consists  entirely  in  social  service,  and 
it  has  been  common,  in  times  past,  to  act 
as  though  it  consisted  entirely  in  mystic , 
inner  devotion  to  Christ.  Where  in  this 
chapter  is  there  presented  a  conception  of 
Christianity  that  involves  these  two  as- 

107 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

pects  of  true  religion  in  their  right  rela- 
tion? 

Jesus  Appears  to  the  Disciples  by  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.    21.  1-14 

10.  Some  commentators  consider  this  ac- 
count to  be  simply  a  varied  form  of  the 
story  recorded  in  Luke  5.  1-11.  What 
fundamental  differences  do  you  notice? 

11.  Why,  in  your  opinion,  did  Jesus  work 
the  miracle  of  the  miraculous  draught  of 
fishes? 

12.  V.  4.  "Jesus  stood  on  the  beach, 
yet  the  disciples  knew  not  that  it  was 
Jesus."  Where  previously  in  this  Gospel 
is  the  Master  represented  as  working  mir- 
acles "incognito"? 

13.  V.  7.  "That  disciple  therefore  whom 
Jesus  loved  saith  unto  Peter,  It  is  the 
Lord."    Why  did  he  think  so? 

14.  V.  12.  "None  of  the  disciples  durst 
inquire  of  him,  Who  art  thou?"  The  in- 
quiry would  have  implied  distrust.  Where 
in  Chapter  4  is  it  said  that  the  disciples 
felt  restrained  from  asking  a  question 
which  implied  doubt  of  the  wisdom  of 
Jesus? 

108 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

Simon  Peter's  Commission.    21.  15-25 

15.  V.  15.  "Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter, 
Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me  more 
than  these?"  More  than  these  disciples 
love  me?  or  more  than  thou  lovest  these 
disciples?  or  more  than  thou  lovest  this 
fishing  boat  and  this  net,  and  the  pur- 
suits of  your  former  life?     (Mark  14.  29.) 

16.  Can  you  think  of  any  reason  why 
Jesus  should  have  repeated  the  question, 
"Lovest  thou  me?"  three  times? 

17.  V.  17.  Why  was  Peter  grieved  that 
Jesus  said  to  him  a  third  time,  "Lovest 
thou  me?" 

18.  What  does  Jesus  mean  by  feeding 
the  sheep?  Does  he  refer  to  preaching 
the  gospel,  or  to  caring  for  the  physical 
and  intellectual  well-being  of  men? 


100 


SEARCH  QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTERS 
I-XH 

1.  In  what  chapter  must  the  disciples 
of  Jesus  who  had  also  been  disciples  of 
John  the  Baptist  have  noticed  a  marked 
difference  between  the  stern  asceticism  of 
John's  severe  life,  and  the  more  human 
social  habits  of  our  Lord? 

2.  Where  does  Jesus  express  his  grief 
over  the  weakness  of  faith  that  demands 
signs  and  wonders,  and  cannot  rest  upon 
the  deeper  spiritual  miracle  of  his  own 
divine  personality  and  inspired  teachings? 

3.  Find  in  at  least  three  different  chap- 
ters the  statement  that  Jesus  is  the  light 
of  the  world. 

4.  Where  does  Jesus  express  the  truth 
that  no  place  or  task  is  so  safe  for  a  man 
as  the  place  and  the  task  which  God  ap- 
points to  him? 

5.  Where  does  Jesus  describe  as  spiritual 
criminals  those  who  seek  for  leadership 
over  his  people  with  selfish  purposes? 

6.  Where  in  these  chapters,  when  a 
crowd  wished  to  compliment  Jesus  as  an 

110 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

intellectual  prodigy,  who  had  learned  with- 
out the  advantage  of  the  schools,  does  he 
at  once  turn  aside  the  compliment  and 
refer  them  to  the  source  of  his  inspiration? 

7.  Where  is  the  pre-existence  of  Christ 
asserted  by  the  author  of  the  fourth  Gos- 
pel? Where  in  another  chapter  is  Jesus 
himself  represented  as  proclaiming  it? 

8.  Where  in  these  chapters  does  Jesus, 
when  confronted  by  inquiring  Greeks,  sug- 
gest that  the  way  in  which  he  is  to  reach 
the  outside  nations  will  be  by  meeting  his 
fate  in  doing  his  local  task? 

9.  What  indications  do  we  find  in  the 
earlier  part  of  the  Gospel  that  Jesus  fore- 
saw his  coming  martyrdom? 

10.  In  what  incident  is  the  uttermost 
devotion  and  love  brought  into  most  vivid 
contrast  with  the  spirit  of  the  traitor? 

11.  Popular  Jewish  theology  taught  that 
misfortune  was  a  proof  of  sin,  either  in  a 
man  or  his  parents.  Where  does  Jesus  set 
himself  against  this  idea? 

12.  In  what  chapter  does  Jesus,  by  a 
beautiful  figure  of  speech,  state  that  those 
who  believe  in  him  will  become  sources  of 
great  helpfulness  to  others? 

ill 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

13.  Where  does  Jesus,  at  the  risk  of  his 
life,  show  his  devotion  to  friends  in 
trouble? 

14.  Where  does  Jesus  insist  that  a  man 
who  is  inclined  to  conform  to  the  moral 
standards  which  God  reveals  will  be  made 
sure  that  Christ  is  the  representative  of 
God? 

15.  Where  does  Jesus  commend  the  lav- 
ish expression  of  devotion  to  himself? 

16.  Where  do  we  find  evidence  that  the 
personality  and  eloquence  of  Jesus  ap- 
pealed powerfully  even  to  the  temple 
policemen? 

17.  Where  does  Jesus  say,  in  effect,  that 
if  a  man  persistently  holds  to  his  effort  to 
understand  and  to  follow  his  command- 
ments, he  will  find  himself  made  free? 

18.  Where  does  Jesus,  as  over  against 
the  world's  tendency  to  look  to  sacred 
places  as  the  sources  of  special  inspiration, 
set  forth  the  evangel  that  communion  with 
God  may  be  enjoyed  to  the  full  in  any 
place,  and  that  a  man  may  have  within 
him  at  all  times  an  endless  and  ever- 
renewed  source  of  refreshment  and  life? 

19.  Where  does  an  apostle,  confronted 

112 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

with  a  difficult  and  disappointing  state- 
ment of  Jesus,  refuse  to  leave  him  on  that 
account,  because,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties 
of  Jesus's  teachings,  he  had  found  that 
they  imparted  life  and  inspiration,  and  be- 
cause the  alternatives  to  Jesus  were  men 
who  could  impart  no  life  at  all? 

20.  Where  does  Jesus  suggest  that  there 
is  a  divinely  appointed  time  for  the  crucial 
events  of  his  ministry? 

21.  Where  does  John  give  us  the  story 
of  how  a  man's  belief  develops  as  he 
stands  up  for  his  benefactor,  and  for  the 
facts  that  he  knows,  as  over  against  the 
sneers  of  hypocrites? 

22.  Where  does  Jesus,  in  an  interview 
with  a  dignitary,  who  was  doubtless  dream- 
ing about  a  new  social  and  religious  order 
for  his  nation,  suggest  to  this  man  that  be- 
fore engaging  in  the  work  of  reconstruction 
he,  in  common  with  his  class,  needed  to 
have  his  wEole  outlook  upon  'life  spirit- 
ualized? 

23.  Under  what  figure  of  speech  does 
Jesus  show  that  his  true  disciples  have  an 
instinct  to  know  his  leading,  and  to  reject 
the  leading  of  false  men? 

113 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

24.  In  what  two  chapters  in  1-12  does 
Jesus  teach  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrec- 
tion? 

25.  Where  in  the  early  part  of  the  Gos- 
pel does  Jesus  teach  that  the  transforma- 
tion which  goes  on  in  a  man's  soul,  when 
he  passes  from  darkness  to  light,  while  it  is 
mysterious  and  inexplicable,  is  nevertheless 
plainly  manifest  by  its  results? 

26.  Where  does  Jesus  suggest  that  in  the 
accomplishing  of  the  tasks  set  for  him  by 
the  Father  he  found  nourishment,  strength, 
and  joy? 


114 


SEARCH  QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTERS 
XIII-XXI 

1.  It  is  said  by  some,  on  the  basis  of  the 
words  of  Jesus  to  Peter  in  the  Synoptics 
(Matt.  16.  13-20),  that  he  and  his  suc- 
cessors alone  were  commissioned  with 
power  to  bind  and  to  loose.  Where  in  this 
Gospel  is  this  power  plainly  bestowed  upon 
all  of  the  apostles? 

2.  Where  does  Jesus  lay  down  the  old 
law  of  love  as  the  fundamental  principle  for 
the  guidance  of  his  disciples,  but  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  give  it  a  new  dynamic  and 
far  greater  intensity  than  it  had  had 
before? 

3.  Where  does  Jesus  insist  that  his  own 
personality  and  his  own  teachings  are  a 
sufficient  revelation  of  God  to  the  world? 

4.  Where  does  Jesus  indicate  that  in 
order  to  bring  the  world  to  faith  in  him 
the  disciples  must  manifest  the  spirit  of 
unity? 

5.  Where  do  you  find  a  passage  which 
asserts  the  endless  variety  of  Christ's  min- 
istries and  their  infinite  suggestiveness? 

115 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

6.  Where  does  John  state  the  purpose 
for  which  his  Gospel  was  written? 

7.  Where  does  Jesus  illustrate  his  knowl- 
edge of  what  is  in  the  hearts  of  his  follow- 
ers, and  his  foresight  of  their  probable 
actions? 

8.  Where  does  Jesus,  in  his  prayer, 
show  that  separation  from  the  world  is 
not  to  mean  removal  from  contact  with 
men,  but,  rather,  protection  from  the  in- 
fection of  sin? 

9.  Where  does  Jesus  show  that  a  cer- 
tainty that  Christ  is  alive  in  the  world 
will  come  to  the  man  who  keeps  his  com- 
mandments? 

10.  In  what  figure  of  speech  drawn  from 
the  natural  world  does  Jesus  teach  that 
influence  and  power  come  to  those  who 
patiently  continue  in  his  teaching? 

11.  Where  does  Jesus  come  to  dis- 
couraged and  hard-working  disciples  with 
a  miracle  that  suggests  to  them  his  provi- 
dential care  for  their  physical  needs? 

12.  Where  is  it  asserted  that  love  to 
Jesus  is  to  be  expressed  by  service  to  his 
brethren? 

13.  Where  does  Jesus  teach  the  disciples 

116 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

that  they  will  have  divine  reenf  orcement  in 
convincing  the  world  that  the  rejection  of 
Christ  is  a  sin,  and  that  he  represents 
God's  ideal  of  righteousness,  and  that  the 
power  that  opposes  him  is  doomed  to 
failure? 

14.  If  one  were  to  say  that  Jesus's  ad- 
dressing his  mother  as  "woman"  (John  2) 
showed  lack  of  tenderness  and  deference, 
what  repetition  of  this  form  of  address 
would  confute  this  statement? 

15.  Where  have  we  an  illustration  of 
how  Jesus  satisfied  the  demand  of  one  of 
his  disciples  for  a  physical  evidence  of  his 
resurrection,  while  he  at  the  same  time  ex- 
pressed greater  approval  of  those  who 
could  believe  the  report  of  it  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  the  inevitable  outcome 
for  one  who  had  lived  a  sinless  life  of  such 
divine  power  and  beauty? 

16.  Where  does  Jesus  perform  an  act 
which  revolutionized  the  world's  ordinary 
conception  of  that  which  comports  with 
the  dignity  of  a  great  man? 

17.  Where  does  Jesus  teach  his  disciples 
that  after  his  departure  a  Helper  will  be 
sent  to  them,  who  will  give  them  divine 

117 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

guidance  in  solving  the  problems  that 
arise,  and  in  applying  the  principles  which 
he  has  taught  them? 

18.  Where  does  Jesus,  as  over  against  an 
earthly  magistrate,  show  his  supreme  dig- 
nity and  sense  of  imperial  power? 

19.  Where  does  Jesus  warn  the  disciples 
that  his  spirit  will  so  differentiate  them 
from  the  world  that  they  will  meet  hatred 
and  antagonism? 

20.  Where  does  Jesus  permit  himself  to 
be  publicly  proclaimed  as  the  Messiah? 


118 


THE  DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN 
JOHN  AND  THE  SYNOPTICS 

1.  The  Synoptic  narratives  of  the  life  of 
Jesus  have  to  do  almost  entirely  with  the 
part  of  Jesus's  ministry  that  occurred  in 
Galilee.  Glance  over  the  Gospel  of  John, 
and  note  the  portions  that  have  to  do 
with  Jesus's  Galilaean  ministry.  Where 
are  the  other  incidents  of  the  Gospel 
laid? 

2.  The  Synoptic  Gospels  all  agree  in 
making  Jesus  speak  in  a  certain  literary 
style.  This  is  well  illustrated  in  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount,  Matthew  5-7,  and  in 
the  parables  of  Matthew  13.  When  we 
turn  to  John  we  note  a  marked  difference 
in  vocabulary.  Especially  do  we  find  the 
habit  of  frequently  repeating  certain  words, 
such  as  "life"  and  "light."  Read  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  in  Matthew,  and 
compare  it  with  the  discourses  of  Jesus 
in  John  5  and  6,  to  verify  this  statement. 

3.  As  one  reads  such  passages  as,  for 
instance,  John  5.  19-47;  10.  1-18;  15.  1-11; 
and  17.  1-26,  he  notices  repetitions  in  the 

119 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

thought  like  the  refrain  of  a  piece  of  music. 
After  reading  these  passages,  turn  to  the 
Synoptics  and  find  whether  the  recurring 
refrains  in  the  thought  are  as  frequent  and 
manifest. 

4.  Read  the  parables  of  Jesus  in  Mat- 
thew 13,  and  contrast  them  with  the  very 
different  type  of  parables  found  in  John 
10  and  15.  1-11. 

5.  In  certain  passages  in  John  the  peda- 
gogic skill  of  Jesus  shines  forth  uniquely, 
as,  for  instance,  in  the  interview  with  the 
Samaritan  woman  (Chap.  4) .  But  in  other 
passages  John's  comments  and  enlarge- 
ments, though  we  cannot  but  be  grateful 
that  he  made  them,  make  Jesus  appear  to 
say  certain  things  that  would  perhaps  not 
have  been  altogether  natural  in  the  con- 
versations reported.  See,  for  instance,  the 
latter  part  of  the  Nicodemus  interview. 
Now  turn  to  the  Synoptics,  and  note  the 
comparative  absence  of  passages  that 
would  have  been  strange  as  coming  from 
the  mouth  of  Jesus  in  the  exact  form 
quoted,  and  under  the  precise  circum- 
stance. (There  can  be  no  doubt,  however, 
that  certain  sayings  in  the  Synoptics  are 

120 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

also  plainly  inspired  interpretations  of  a 
later  generation.) 

6.  In  the  Gospel  of  John  Jesus  is  con- 
stantly and  almost  exclusively  occupied  in 
explaining  the  significance  of  his  own  per- 
son as  the  source  of  life  and  salvation. 
Read  as  far  as  you  can  into  one  of  the 
Synoptic  Gospels,  and  see  if  this  is  to  the 
same  extent  the  exclusive  subject  of  Jesus's 
teachings. 

7.  The  Synoptics  are  constantly  speak- 
ing of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or  the  King- 
dom of  heaven.  In  John  these  phrases 
scarcely  occur  at  all  (John  3.  3) .  What  in 
John's  phrase  takes  the  place  of  the  King- 
dom of  God,  as  the  chief  good  toward 
which  men  are  to  strive?  (3.  16;  5.  24; 
10.  10;  20.  31;  etc.) 

8.  The  first  call  of  Peter  and  Andrew 
mentioned  in  the  Synoptics  was  by  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  after  the  beginning  of 
Jesus's  public  ministry  (Matt.  4.  18-22; 
Mark  1. 16-20).  When  and  where,  accord- 
ing to  John,  was  Jesus's  first  contact  with 
these  men? 

9.  If  we  assume  that  but  one  incident 
of  the  kind  occurred,  wherein  does  John 

121 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

differ  from  the  Synoptics  on  the  time  of 
the  cleansing  of  the  temple? 

10.  We  have  already  noted  (Chap.  13) 
that  John  places  the  Last  Supper  before 
the  passover.  Does  he  agree  on  this 
point  with  the  Synoptics? 

11.  According  to  the  Synoptics,  Peter's 
confession  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah  did 
not  occur  until  toward  the  end  of  his  min- 
istry (Matt.  16.  13-20),  and  even  when  he 
did  make  this  confession  Jesus  commanded 
the  disciples  to  tell  no  man  that  he  was 
the  Christ.  Is  there  any  utterance  of 
Jesus  in  John  4  that  is  apparently  out  of 
harmony  with  this  attitude? 

These  differences  between  John  and  the 
first  three  Gospels,  while  many  of  them 
can  be  explained  on  other  grounds,  clearly 
prove  that  either  the  first  three  Gospels 
or  John  used  a  large  amount  of  freedom 
in  handling  the  material  in  their  posses- 
sion. Considerations  which  cannot  here 
be  dwelt  upon  plainly  point  to  the  fact 
that  it  is  the  author  of  the  fourth  Gospel 
that  has  taken  the  liberties  with  the  prim- 
itive form  of  Jesus's  teaching.  The  ques- 
tion then  arises  whether  John  has  gone 

122 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

further  than  the  change  of  the  outward 
form,  and  has  to  any  serious  extent  altered 
the  substance  and  spirit  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  To  this  problem  we  now  address 
ourselves- 


123 


THE  PROFOUND  INNER  HARMONY 
BETWEEN  JOHN  AND  THE 
SYNOPTICS 

I.  The  Johannine  and  the  Synoptic 
Conception  of  the  Method  of 
Christ's  Self-Revelation 

It  is  often  said  that  there  is  an  irre- 
concilable difference  between  John  and  the 
first  three  Gospels,  in  that  the  Synoptics 
represent  Jesus  as  reticent  about  the 
declaration  of  his  Messiahship,  while  the 
fourth  Gospel  makes  him  proclaim  himself 
as  the  Christ  from  the  very  first,  and  we 
see  no  development  in  the  process  of  his 
self -revelation. 

In  order  to  consider  this  problem  dis- 
criminatingly we  must  understand  some  of 
the  reasons  for  our  Lord's  reticence.  The 
last  word  has  not  been  said  about  this 
matter,  but  it  is  plain  that  one  reason 
was  Jesus's  desire  to  refrain  from  raising 
false  hopes.  The  word  "Messiah"  imme- 
diately conjured  up  in  a  Jew's  mind  a 
vision  of  war  and  conquest  and  military 
glory.     It  was  a  firebrand,  and  conveyed 

124 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

a  false  impression  of  what  Jesus  was  or 
intended  to  be. 

Another  reason  for  our  Lord's  reticence 
was  his  desire  not  to  force  upon  the  dis- 
ciples views  about  himself  that  their  spirit- 
ual progress  had  not  qualified  them  to 
appreciate,  and  the  grounds  for  which  they 
were  not  yet  able  to  see  with  their  own 
eyes. 

Having  made  these  preliminary  observa- 
tions, we  now  propose  the  following  ques- 
tions : 

1.  Were  the  great  self -revelations  of 
Christ  in  John's  Gospel  of  such  a  char- 
acter as  to  raise  revolutionary  excitement 
and  carnal  expectations? 

(1)  Read  John  5,  which  contains  one  of 
the  baldest  assertions  of  Christ's  highest 
claims,  and  decide  whether  these  state- 
ments were  uttered  under  circumstances 
that  remotely  tended  to  arouse  the  pa- 
triotic enthusiasm  of  the  crowds  full  of 
carnal  Messianic  dreams  of  revolution  and 
conquest.  Compare  also  the  great  dis- 
course after  the  miracle  in  John  6.  What 
effect  did  the  discourse  in  6.  22-71  have 
upon  the  crowds?    Did  it  increase  or  de- 

125 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

crease  the  danger  of  stirring  up  false  hopes 
and  a  revolutionary  uprising? 

(2)  Did  the  discourse  in  8.  12-59  earn 
him  popular  applause,  or  persecution? 

(3)  What  effect  did  Jesus's  great  self- 
declaration  at  the  feast  of  dedication  (10. 
22-39)  have  upon  the  crowds? 

2.  Is  Christ's  declaration  of  himself  as 
Messiah  in  John  4  a  contradiction  to  his 
policy  of  reserve  in  the  Synoptics? 

(1)  According  to  Matthew  16,  Jesus 
charges  the  disciples  that  they  tell  no 
man  that  he  is  the  Christ,  but  in  ap- 
parent inconsistency  with  this  program, 
Jesus  in  John  4  is  represented  as  telling 
the  woman  that  he  is  the  Christ.  What 
conception,  however,  is  the  woman  repre- 
sented as  expressing  concerning  the  work 
and  function  of  the  Messiah? 

(2)  Would  the  Samaritans  be  anxious 
to  proclaim  a  Jewish  military  Messiah,  in 
view  of  the  fact  that,  according  to  the 
Jewish  dreams,  the  Samaritans  would  be 
among  the  first  to  suffer  his  vengeance? 

3.  Have  we  definite  evidence  in  John 
of  the  same  guarding  against  Messianic 
excitement  that  we  find  in  the  Synoptics? 

126 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

(1)  Where  have  we  in  John  2  plain  indi- 
cation of  Jesus's  caution  in  trusting  himself 
to  followers  who  did  not  understand  the 
spirituality  of  his  commission? 

(2)  Where  have  we  in  John  3  plain  evi- 
dence of  our  Lord's  abrupt  manner  with  a 
man  who  was  in  danger  of  looking  upon 
his  kingdom  as  earthly  and  political? 

(3)  Where  in  John  5  do  we  note  our 
Lord's  care  to  avoid  a  crowd  excited  by 
one  of  his  miracles? 

(4)  Where  in  Chapter  6  have  we  plain 
evidence  of  his  determined  policy  of  avoid- 
ing excited  multitudes  of  men  who  wished 
to  put  him  at  their  head? 

(5)  Where  in  Chapter  7  do  we  see  Jesus 
deliberately  refusing  to  advertise  himself  as 
the  Messiah,  and  refusing  to  go  up  to  the 
feast  at  the  head  of  a  group  of  unspiritual 
men  who  hoped  to  gain  something  from 
their  relation  to  him? 

(6)  Where  in  Chapter  10  have  we  plain 
evidence  that,  in  spite  of  his  amazing  self- 
assertions,  Jesus  had  avoided  the  use  of 
the  word  "Messiah,"  and  thus  had  tan- 
talized and  perplexed  his  enemies? 

(7)  Where  in  Chapters  %  3,  6,  8,  10,  and 

127 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

12  do  you  find  Jesus  predicting  his  own 
death,  and  thus  putting  a  damper  on  the 
carnal  hopes  of  his  disciples? 

II.  The  Johannine  and  the  Synoptic 
Conception  of  the  Person  and 
Authority  of  Christ 

The  critics  who  attack  the  essential  con- 
formity of  the  fourth  Gospel  to  the  mind 
and  teaching  of  Jesus  do  it  on  the  score 
that  it  stresses  the  divine  nature  of  Christ 
in  a  way  that  is  out  of  harmony  with  the 
Synoptic  Gospels.  It  would  be  well  to 
examine  the  Synoptics  to  see  whether  or 
no  this  difference  is  as  real  as  it  is  ap- 
parent. To  this  end  we  propose  the  fol- 
lowing search  questions: 

(1)  All  through  John's  Gospel  Jesus 
claims  to  be  the  Son  of  God.  Where  in 
Matthew  3  have  we  a  story  that  is  equally 
strong  in  assigning  this  position  to  Jesus? 

(2)  The  fourth  Gospel  represents  Jesus 
as  claiming  that  a  man's  personal  attitude 
toward  him  and  his  teachings  determines 
his  eternal  destiny.  Where  in  Matthew  7 
and  10  have  we  passages  which,  in  less 
bald  form,  but  nevertheless  quite  as  un- 

128 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

mistakably,  assert  that  Christ  is  to  be  the 
arbiter  of  destiny? 

(3)  John  represents  Jesus  as  working 
astounding  miracles,  like  the  healing  of  the 
paralytic,  the  restoration  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  and  the  raising  of  the  dead.  What 
similar  great  miracles  are  recorded  in 
Matthew  9? 

(4)  John  represents  Jesus  as  offering  to 
make  the  disciples  sources  of  life,  healing, 
and  inspiration  to  others.  Where  in  Mat- 
thew 10  is  he  represented  as  conferring  the 
same  power  upon  his  disciples? 

(5)  In  John  14  Jesus  made  the  great 
promise  that  he  would  come  again.  Where 
in  Matthew  10  do  we  find  a  similar  pas- 
sage? 

(6)  In  John  14-16  Jesus  promises  the 
Spirit  to  assist  the  disciples  in  their  work 
for  his  kingdom.  Where  in  Matthew  10 
do  we  find  a  similar  promise  of  divine  re- 
enforcement  when  they  face  difficulties  for 
Christ's  sake? 

(7)  Jesus  in  John's  Gospel  says,  "No  one 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me." 
Where  in  Matthew  11  does  he  state  that 
he  alone  is  the  revealer  of  God? 

129 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

(8)  The  Jesus  of  John's  Gospel  promises 
inward  rest  and  peace  to  all  that  follow 
him  (Chap.  14).  Where  in  Matthew  11 
do  we  find  a  similar  promise? 

(9)  Jesus  in  John  5  claims  the  right  to 
do  the  work  of  God,  even  though  it  break 
the  Jewish  Sabbath  traditions.  Where  in 
Matthew  12  does  he  make  a  similar  ma- 
jestic claim  concerning  his  relation  to  the 
Sabbath? 

(10)  The  Jesus  of  John  says  that  the 
Father  hath  given  all  judgment  unto  the 
Son.  Where  in  one  of  the  parables  in 
Matthew  13  does  Jesus  speak  of  himself 
as  in  authority  at  the  Judgment  Day? 
Compare  also  the  parable  of  the  sheep  and 
the  goats  in  Matthew  25.  31-46. 

(11)  The  fourth  Gospel  represents  Jesus 
as  multiplying  the  loaves  and  the  fishes 
(John  6).  Where  have  we  a  parallel  pas- 
sage in  Matthew  14? 

(12)  The  fourth  Gospel  represents  Jesus 
as  being  able  to  heal  at  a  distance  (John  4) . 
Where  in  Matthew  15  have  we  a  parallel 
passage? 

(13)  According  to  John,  Jesus  is  repre- 
sented as  predicting  his  own  resurrection. 

130 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

He  says,  "I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  may 
take  it  again."  Where  in  Matthew  17  do 
we  find  a  similar  promise  of  his  own  resur- 
rection? 

(14)  John  makes  a  great  promise  to 
those  who  ask  in  the  name. of  Jesus  (14. 
14  and  15.  7).  Where  in  Matthew  18  do 
we  have  an  essentially  parallel  passage? 

(15)  The  fourth  Gospel  represents  Jesus 
as  conferring  upon  the  apostles  through 
the  Holy  Ghost  the  unique  power  to  bind 
and  to  loose  (20.  23).  Where  in  the  18th 
chapter  of  Matthew  is  he  represented  as 
conveying  a  similar  authority? 

(16)  John's  Gospel  represents  Jesus  as 
God's  only  begotten  Son,  who  has  a  unique 
relation  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  salvation 
of  the  world  (3.  16).  In  what  parable  in 
Luke  20  do  we  find  practically  the  same 
distinction  made  between  the  Christ  and 
the  other  great  servants  of  God? 

III.  The  Johannine  and  the  Synoptic 
Conception  of  the  Chief  Good 
for  Man  and  for  Society 

According  to  the  Synoptics,  Jesus  came 
to  set  up  the  kingdom  of  God.     He  used 
131 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

this  phrase  because  it  was  constantly  in 
the  mouths  of  the  multitude,  and  he 
sought  to  spiritualize  it  (Luke  17.  21). 
With  John's  Gentile  audience  this  phrase 
was  no  longer  as  effective  as  in  the  days  of 
Jesus's  Palestinian  ministry,  and  it  was 
also  perhaps  somewhat  dangerous  as  a 
popular  slogan  on  account  of  the  jealousy 
of  the  Roman  emperors,  and  their  suspicion 
of  revolutionary  elements  in  Christianity. 
Hence  John  chose  to  bring  to  the  front 
another  phrase  of  Jesus  which  better 
served  his  purpose  for  expressing  the  mind 
of  Christ  to  his  own  generation.  That 
phrase  was  "eternal  life."  Where,  how- 
ever, have  we  evidence  that  John's  ideal 
of  the  goal  which  Jesus  set  before  the  dis- 
ciples was  not  a  whit  less  social  than  the 
Synoptic  conception  of  the  kingdom  of 
God?  (John  10.  11;  13.  34;  17.  1-26;  21. 
15-17.) 


132 


QUESTIONNAIRE 

If  the  rephrasing  of  the  words  of  Jesus 
would  make  his  teachings  more  intelligible 
to  the  generation  for  which  the  evangelist 
wrote,  than  the  repetition  of  the  primitive 
teachings,  as  Jesus  first  spoke  them,  which, 
in  your  opinion,  would  be  most  perfectly 
the  word  of  Christ,  the  primitive  phrase 
or  the  modification  that  made  the  primi- 
tive phrase  intelligible?  In  this  connec- 
tion it  is  well  to  recall  the  fact  that  Paul, 
in  his  epistles,  attempting  to  convey  the 
message  of  Christ  to  the  churches,  felt 
impelled  literally  to  quote  but  a  single 
passage  from  the  words  of  Jesus  (1  Cor. 
11.  24,  25). 

The  fourth  Gospel  contains  the  portions 
of  Scripture  to  which  men  invariably  turn 
in  times  of  distress  and  great  sorrow.  Its 
pages  are  black  with  use.  What  does  this 
enormous  religious  value — certainly  as 
great  as  that  of  any  of  the  other  three 
Gospels — tend  to  show  as  to  the  essential 
conformity  of  the  Gospel  to  the  mind  of 
God? 


133 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 

Questions  on   the   Problem   of  Author- 
ship and  Date 

The  Authorship  of  the  Gospel 

I.  Internal  Evidence. 

1.  Indirect  Evidence. 

What  evidence  can  you  find  in  the  character 
and  contents  of  the  Gospel  itself  to  indicate 
that  the  writer  was 

(1)  A  Jew? 

(2)  A  Jew  of  Palestine? 

(3)  An  eyewitness? 

(4)  Ail  apostle? 

(5)  St.  John? 

2.  Direct  Evidence. 

What  direct  statements  of  the  Gospel  pro- 
claim it  to  have  been  written  by  an  eyewitness, 
and  one  of  the  inner  circle  of  disciples? 

It  is  advisable  for  the  student  to  examine 
the  internal  evidence  for  himself,  and  then 
later  to  compare  his  independent  results  with 
the  findings  of  the  commentaries. 

The  classic  argument  in  favor  of  the  Johan- 
nine  authorship,  which  is  outlined  in  the  above 
questions,  is  that  of  Westcott  in  the  Introduc- 
tion to  his  Bible  Commentary;  but  it  is  found 
137 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

in  substance  in  most  of  the  commentaries  to 
which  the  student  will  have  access,  such  as 
McClymont,  The  New  Century  Bible;  Plum- 
met The  Cambridge  Bible;  Riggs,  The  Mes- 
sages of  Jesus  according  to  the  Gospel  of  John; 
the  article  "John"  in  the  larger  Hastings's  Bible 
Dictionary.  It  is  fully,  clearly,  and  freshly  put 
by  Strachan,  article  "John,  the  Gospel  of,"  in 
Hastings's  Dictionary  of  Christ  and  the 
Gospels. 

Some  writers  who  maintain  that  the  fourth 
Gospel  is  the  work  of  an  eyewitness,  and  one 
of  the  inner  circle  of  disciples,  identify  the  dis- 
ciple whom  Jesus  loved,  not  with  John,  the  son 
of  Zebedee,  but  with  a  young  man,  a  resident 
of  Jerusalem  and  perhaps  a  priest.  This  view, 
maintaining  as  it  does  that  the  Gospel  is  the 
work  of  one  who  was  personally  in  touch  with 
Jesus,  does  not  greatly  differ  in  its  practical 
outcome  from  the  view  that  maintains  the 
Johannine  authorship.  The  student  will  find 
most  of  the  biblical  evidence  in  favor  of  it  in 
Chapters  13-21,  and  also  in  Mark  14.  51-52, 
which  suggests  that  a  young  man  had  been 
present  in  the  upper  room  who  was  not  one  of 
the  twelve.  See  Sanday's  Criticism  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel,  p.  99-108  (New  York,  Scrib- 
ners),  and  Garvie,  The  Inner  Life  of  Jesus, 
introduction,  p.  29.  Note  criticism  of  this 
138 


APPENDIX 

view  in  article  "John,  the  Gospel  of,"  in  Has- 
tings's D  ctionary  of  Christ  and  the  Gospels, 
p.  879. 

II.  External  Evidence. 

Find  from  the  introductions  in  the  com- 
mentaries, the  general  New  Testament  in- 
troductions, and  the  Bible  dictionaries  what 
information  you  can  concerning  the  evidence 
which  historical  tradition  gives  in  favor  of  the 
Johannine  authorship  of  the  fourth  Gospel. 
The  most  complete  statement  of  the  external 
evidence  for  the  Johannine  authorship  is  found 
perhaps  in  Drummond's  Character  and  Au- 
thorship of  the  Fourth  Gospel  (London,  Wil- 
liams and  Norgate). 

Arguments  Against  the  Authorship  of  the 
Gospel  by  One  of  the  Inner  Circle 

1.  In  addition  to  the  presumptions  against 
the  historicity  of  John's  Gospel  suggested  by 
the  previous  section  of  this  book,  entitled  "The 
Differences  Between  John  and  the  Synoptics," 
p.  119,  what  arguments  can  you  find  against 
the  view  that  the  Gospel  was  written  by  one 
who  had  a  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  life  of 
Jesus,  and  who  took  no  liberties  with  his 
teachings  save  those  which  were  necessary  to 
139 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

make  his  Gospel  intelligible  and  effective  with 
a  succeeding  generation? 

2.  What  are  some  of  the  various  theories  of 
the  authorship  of  the  Gospel  put  forth  by 
those  who  deny  its  composition  by  one  who 
was  in  immediate  touch  with  Jesus?  See 
Scott,  The  Fourth  Gospel  (New  York,  Scrib- 
ner's  Sons);  Moffatt,  Introduction  to  the  Lit- 
erature of  the  New  Testament  (New  York, 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons);  Smiedel,  The  En- 
cyclopaedia Biblia,  article  "John,  Son  of  Zebe- 
dee." 

Date  and  Place  of  Writing 

1.  Note  the  evidence  for  a  late  date  based 

(1)  on  the  amount  of  the  ethical  teachings  of 
Jesus,  as  found  in  the  Synoptics,  which  John 
presupposes  and  assumes  that  his  readers  know; 

(2)  on  the  assumption  which  he  makes  that 
the  Christian  Church  has  at  last  passed  over 
from  the  admixture  of  Jewish  legalism,  which 
characterized  its  earlier  stages,  to  the  view 
that  Christianity  consists  solely  in  faith  which 
worketh  by  love;  (3)  on  the  omission  in  re- 
cording Christ's  predictions  of  the  future  of 
important  prophecies  that  had  already  been 
fulfilled;  (4)  on  the  use  of  a  name  for  the  Sea 
of  Galilee  (Chap.  6)  which  did  not  obtain  cur- 
rency till  the  end  of, the  first  century;. (5)  and 

140 


APPENDIX 

on  the  undoubted  fact  that  the  writer  trans- 
lates the  primitive  form  of  Jesus's  teachings 
into  phrases  that  rendered  them  intelligible 
and  effective  for  a  succeeding  generation. 

(These  outlines  of  the  argument,  as  in  other 
cases,  are  simply  meant  to  be  suggestive  guides 
to  the  student,  and  should  not  at  all  be  made 
trammels  in  his  discussion  of  a  problem  that 
has  many  aspects.  In  this  part  of  his  study 
the  student  should  make  the  freest  and  most 
independent  use  of  all  accessible  literature  on 
the  subject,  and  should  outline  his  results  after 
his  own  fashion.) 

2.  What  evidence  from  the  tradition  of  the 
church  fathers  do  we  have  that  the  Gospel  was 
written  not  earlier  than  the  end  of  the  first 
century? 

3.  What  is  the  evidence  from  the  church 
fathers  as  to  the  place  of  the  writing  of  the 
fourth  Gospel? 

4.  Do  you  find  in  the  Prologue  (1.  1-18)  any 
term  that  corroborates  the  tradition  of  the 
church  that  the  Gospel  was  written  for  an 
audience  familiar  with  Greek  philosophy? 

5.  Do  you  find  any  places  in  the  Gospel 
where  the  writer  explains  Jewish  geography 
and  Jewish  customs  in  such  a  way  as  to  prove 
that  it  was  written  for  people  not  familiar  with 
Palestine  and  with  Jewish  customs? 

141 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

Conditions  Surrounding  the  Writer  and 
the  Readers 

The  material  is  so  scant  that  we  are  com- 
pelled to  content  ourselves  with  a  somewhat 
vague  knowledge  of  the  conditions  surrounding 
the  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel.  We  can,  how- 
ever, infer  these  conditions  by  observing  the 
truth  which  the  writer  felt  it  necessary  to 
stress,  and  by  noting  the  errors  which  the 
Johannine  epistles  attack. 

The  messages  to  the  seven  churches  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse (Chapters  1-3)  also  furnish  light  on  the  condi- 
tions in  Ephesus  and  the  surrounding  cities  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  first  century. 

1.  After  a  reading  of  the  First  Epistle  of 
John,  from  what  two  main  errors  with  regard 
to  Christ's  life  and  teachings  would  you  judge 
that  John  was  endeavoring  to  free  the  church? 
See  Law's  great  commentary  on  the  Johannine 
epistles,  entitled  The  Tests  of  Life  (New  York, 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons).  See  also  Law's  ar- 
ticle "John,  the  Epistles  of,"  in  the  Interna- 
tional Standard  Bible  Encyclopaedia. 

St.  It  is  plain  that  John's  Gospel  does  not 
make  a  polemic  attack  on  these  errors,  but,  as 
Westcott  suggests,  seeks  to  place  in  proper 
relations  with  the  whole  of  reality  the  truths 
which  the  errorists  had  isolated  and  misused. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  likely  that  the  writer  em- 
142 


APPENDIX 

phasized,  or  put  in  the  foreground,  certain 
teachings  of  Jesus  which  he  might  not  have 
emphasized  had  not  these  errors  been  infesting 
the  church  at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  the 
Gospel.  Can  you  find  in  the  Gospel  any 
places  where  the  emphasis  is  laid  on  truth 
which  the  Johannine  epistles  and  the  messages 
to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  (Rev.  1-3) 
plainly  prove  to  have  been  denied  or  perverted 
toward  the  end  of  the  first  century? 

3.  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  had  won- 
derfully fullfilled  the  predictions  which  Jesus 
uttered  in  such  passages  as  Mark  13,  Matthew 
24,  and  Luke  21.  And  yet  Jesus  had  not  come 
in  just  the  manner  that  they  had  expected. 
This  situation  presented  a  new  problem  to  the 
church.  They  were  both  reassured  and  puz- 
zled. It  was  left  to  the  Christian  leaders  to 
adjust  the  church  to  the  new  situation,  and 
find  their  way  to  that  outlook  on  the  future  to 
which  the  leading  of  the  Spirit  and  the  words 
of  Jesus  pointed.  Read  the  teachings  of  Jesus 
about  the  future  in  John  14-16,  and  compare 
them  with  those  in  the  first  three  Gospels 
(Matthew  24,  for  instance)  to  note  the  indica- 
tion that  John  was  reporting  the  mind  of 
Christ  to  people  whose  problem  was  distinctly 
different  from  that  of  the  Jews  before  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
143 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

4.  The  Christian  Church  at  the  time  of  the 
writing  of  the  Gospel,  as  Westcott  points  out, 
had  been  firmly  planted  upon  Paul's  principle 
of  liberty.  Christians  were  not  to  be  bound 
down  by  hard-and-fast  rules.  They  were, 
rather,  to  believe  in  Christ  as  the  one  who 
gave  himself  for  them,  and  to  express  their 
gratitude  and  love  and  loyalty  in  such  purity 
of  life,  and  in  such  deeds  of  mercy  toward 
their  fellow  men  as  they  were  inspired  to  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  which  was  within  them.  This 
freedom,  while  it  tended  to  spontaneity  and 
life  in  the  church,  necessarily  gave  occasion  for 
many  wild  eccentricities  and  even  immoral  per- 
versions of  the  doctrine  of  grace.  Hence  it 
became  necessary  sternly  to  insist  on  the  moral 
foundations.  (Compare  the  strong  emphasis 
upon  elemental  morality  in  the  First  Epistle  of 
John.)  Where  in  the  upper  room  discourses 
(John  13-16)  does  Jesus  repeatedly  insist  that 
keeping  the  commandments  is  the  condition  for 
all  high  experiences  of  communion  with  God? 

5.  Inevitably  as  men  thought  upon  the 
Christian  revelation,  there  would  develop  in 
their  minds  a  theory  of  religion,  and  there 
would  be  a  tendency  to  come  to  terms  with 
the  prevailing  philosophy,  just  as  to-day  reli- 
gious writers  seem  to  feel  it  necessary  to 
decide  upon  the  relation  of  Christ's  teaching 

144 


APPENDIX 

to  the  doctrine  of  evolution,  or  to  the  economic 
theories  of  the  socialists.  What  term  does 
John  use  in  the  Prologue  (1.  1-18)  which  shows 
some  disposition  to  link  up  the  Gospel  with 
the  philosophical  terminology  of  the  day? 

6.  With  this  development  of  Christianity 
into  a  philosophy  would  come  the  inevitable 
tendency  to  make  it  nothing  but  a  philosophy, 
a  mere  set  of  opinions  which  were  supposed  to 
give  a  man  special  insight  and  power.  Where 
have  we  in  the  14th  and  15th  chapters  of  John, 
for  instance,  the  demand  that  discipleship  be 
expressed  in  practical  living,  on  peril  of  for- 
feiture of  spiritual  privileges? 

7.  Philosophy  would  tend  to  make  men  ex- 
press Christianity  in  general  principles.  These 
dry  and  abstract  principles  would  tend  to 
become  a  substitute  for  the  living  Christ. 
Where  have  we  repeated  indications  in  John's 
Gospel  that  the  writer  desires  to  bring  out  in 
special  prominence  those  parts  of  Jesus's  teach- 
ings that  represented  Christ  himself  as  the 
personal  source  of  wisdom  and  life  and  power? 

8.  The  great  official  Roman  persecutions 
against  Christianity  which  took  their  rise  near 
the  end  of  the  first  century  made  the  constant 
use  of  the  phrase  "the  kingdom  of  God"  which 
was  so  prominent  in  the  early  Christian  teach- 
ings, especially  dangerous.    The  ever-watchful 

145 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

and  jealous  Roman  power  would  at  once  infer 
that  people  who  were  talking  about  founding 
a  new  kingdom  meant  to  raise  a  rebellion 
against  Rome.  Compare  the  peculiar  danger 
attendant  upon  the  use  of  certain  very  inno- 
cent phrases  during  the  great  World  War. 
Note  how  John  refers  to  the  kingdom  of  God 
but  twice  (Chapter  3  and  Chapter  18).  What 
explanations  concerning  the  kingdom  does  he 
in  both  cases  give  that  would  effectually  dispel 
suspicion? 


In  all  his  discussion  of  the  critical  problems 
of  the  fourth  Gospel  the  student  is  urged, 
while  giving  the  fullest  and  fairest  considera- 
tion to  those  who  take  the  negative  positions, 
constantly  to  keep  the  text  of  the  Gospel  be- 
fore him,  and  constantly  to  give  it  the  fullest 
opportunity  to  make  its  direct  impression  upon 
his  mind.  This  impression  is  a  scientific  fact 
which  must  be  dealt  with,  and  must  be  ex- 
perienced in  order  to  be  dealt  with.  As  a 
recent  somewhat  radical  writer  has  said:  "No 
explanation  of  the  fourth  Gospel  is  scientific 
which  does  not  sufficiently  account  for  its 
enormous  and  increasing  spiritual  impression 
upon  the  race.  Those  who  would  make  it  a 
146 


APPENDIX 

pure  work  of  imagination  of  the  second  century 
have  overpowering  difficulties  to  confront." 

Again,  the  student  is  warned  against  the 
false  alternatives  which  are  constantly  pre- 
sented by  some  who  discuss  this  Gospel.  The 
alternative  is  not  the  most  conservative  view 
of  the  authorship  and  nature  of  the  Gospel,  on 
the  one  hand,  or  the  radical  position  that  it  is 
a  pure  work  of  the  imagination  by  a  second- 
century  writer,  on  the  other.  It  may  have 
originated  in  much  the  same  manner  that  lit- 
erature is  now  developed  on  the  foreign  field. 
Foreign  missionaries  who  are  familiar  with  the 
processes  by  which  missionary  leaders  write 
books  for  nations  whose  thought  habits  are 
different  from  their  own  are  often  inclined  to 
allow  for  no  small  element  of  cooperation 
among  John's  Greek  disciples  in  arriving  at 
the  final  form  of  the  book. 

It  should  also  be  remembered  that  this  Gos- 
pel greatly  emphasizes  the  promise  of  the 
guidance  of  the  Spirit  in  meeting  the  problems 
that  are  to  come.  We  can  easily  believe  that 
John  was  like  Paul  (Gal.  1.  1-17)  in  believing 
that  the  conclusions  to  which  the  Holy  Spirit, 
through  reflection  and  Divine  Providence,  had 
brought  him,  were  as  certainly  the  direct  rev- 
elations of  Christ  as  though  they  had  been 
spoken  by  Jesus  in  the  flesh.     Compare  the 

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A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

absolute  conviction  of  the  writer  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse that  his  messages  to  the  seven  churches 
were  a  real  word  of  Jesus. 

It  is  likely  that  the  fourth  Gospel  is  the  most 
daring  illustration  of  the  freedom  of  the  Spirit 
which  we  have  in  the  New  Testament.  John 
takes  seriously  the  words  of  Jesus  about  his 
living  presence  with  the  church.  And  in  op- 
posing the  undoubtedly  hurtful,  capricious,  and 
negative  attitude  which  many  moderns  take, 
toward  this  great  record,  we  should  beware  of 
a  mechanical  traditionalism  like  that  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  and,  rather,  should  imi- 
tate in  our  discussion  of  the  problems  the 
Gospel  writer's  broadmindedness,  spirituality, 
and  vivid  sense  of  that  living  power  of  Christ 
which  made  it  seem  safe  for  him,  in  order  to 
preserve  the  inner  spirit  of  the  words  of  Jesus, 
freely  to  adapt  their  outward  form  to  meet  the 
changing  conditions  and  necessities  of  the 
times. 

Subjects  for  Essays 

A  Full  Exegetical  Discussion  of  Any  One  of 
the  Main  Incidents  of  the  Gospel,  with  the 
Accompanying  Discourse. 

The  Teachings  of  John  Concerning  the  Nature 
and  Person  of  Christ.  (On  all  matters  re- 
lating to  the  theology  of  John  the  book  of 
148 


APPENDIX 

Prof.  G.  B.  Stevens,  "The  Johannine  The- 
ology" (New  York,  Charles  Scribner's  Sons), 
is  of  much  value.) 

The  Teachings  Concerning  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  Fourth  Gospel. 

The  Way  of  Salvation  as  Set  Forth  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel,  Including  a  Discussion  of 
the  Meanings  Assigned  by  John  to  the 
Word  "Believe." 

John's  Conception  of  Christ's  Deity,  as  Com- 
pared with  that  of  Paul.  Are  they  har- 
monious, or  divergent? 

The  Outlook  on  the  Future  Contained  in  the 
Upper  Room  Discourses  (13-17)  as  Con- 
trasted with  that  in  the  Apocalyptic  Sections 
of  the  Earlier  Gospels  (Matthew  24;  Mark 
13;  Luke  21). 

The  Plan,  Purpose,  and  Literary  Peculiarities 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 

The  Various  Witnesses  to  Christ  Spoken  of  in 
the  Fourth  Gospel,  with  Special  Emphasis 
on  Chapter  5. 

The  Differences  between  the  Fourth  Gospel 
and  the  Synoptics,  in  Their  Chronology  of 
the  Life  of  Christ,  the  Scene  and  Location 
of  the  Incidents  Recorded,  the  Literary  Style 
of  the  Story,  and  the  Emphasis  of  the  Teach- 
ing. 

149 


A  STUDY  OF  JOHN'S  GOSPEL 

Is  the  Johannine  Conception  of  the  Deity  of 
Christ  Essentially  Different  from  that  of  the 
Synoptics?  After  becoming  familiar  with  the 
main  characterizations  of  Christ  in  the  fourth 
Gospel,  the  student  should  carefully  go  over 
one  of  the  Synoptic  Gospels  from  beginning 
to  end,  and  note  all  the  characterizations  of 
Christ  which  are  either  expressed  or  implied. 
It  will  be  found  a  most  interesting  and  re- 
warding task. 

The  Main  Ideas  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  as  com- 
pared with  those  of  the  Johannine  Epistles. 


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